Prophecy
by Myra the Sark
Summary: Chase and his "siblings" have lived hidden for as long as they recall. When their guardians vanish, the only sensible action to them is to go out looking for them. Maybe find their missing brother, too. Soon they find themselves involved with a malevolent scientist and a government branch that's going corrupt...and how do a missing scientist and these "Monsunos" tie into it all?
1. Prologue, Part 1

The sky was a solid silvery-gray. The air was stiflingly-hot and still—there was a storm coming. _First one of the summer,_ thought Sabriel as she paused at the intersection of two streets.

"Left," the person standing beside her said—her husband Torrigan. Both of them wore tan-colored robes embroidered with white and jade. Anyone seeing them would think they were tourists with an odd fashion sense, yet that wasn't the case.

They were looking for two particular houses at the end of the street. The occupants of one was a family of four—a veterinarian, a mechanic, and their three sons. As for the other, it only consisted of a scientist and his son. Both targets were only two years old.

Sabriel started toward the latter home, keeping herself out of view, and settled in a spot where she could see in through a window.

Two minutes later, the man left the room, leaving the sleeping child unwatched…and the window was open to let any sort of breeze in. It also allowed Sabriel entrance.

The woman could not help but pause when she saw a family photo. Jeredy was in it, as was his wife, Sophia, who was holding their son. She felt a twinge of hesitation. His father would be devastated…but there was no other option. The fact that his mother had already become a casualty was reason enough—she had to take him to protect him.

With that resolution, she picked the two-year-old from where he had been asleep. At least, she thought he had been asleep—he opened his teal-colored eyes and stared at her. She smiled at him. "Hello Chase," she greeted softly as she carefully exited through the same window. He didn't cry—it was likely he thought that she was his mother. They had the same brown hair—but Sabriel had blue eyes.

She got out of sight not a moment too soon—she heard a startled shout from his father, which caused Chase to start panicking. Sabriel broke into a run while trying to calm him, hoping Torrigan would have an easier time.

* * *

><p>Just as predicted—at hearing their neighbor's shouts, the two Rainiers ran to see what was wrong—leaving their youngest son alone. The other two were at school now.<p>

The boy, Bren, took one look at him and started whimpering. No sooner did Torrigan step outside with him did the two-year-old really start fussing.

The gray-eyed man was a blur down the street.

* * *

><p>Belgaer saw them coming, and unlocked the rented van. "Why are they crying?" he asked.<p>

"He heard his father," was Sabriel's excuse. Torrigan merely shrugged. The black-haired man facepalmed, groaning.

The ten-year-old son of the two, Yrael, crawled over to look at the infants. Yrael had honey-blond hair like his father, and his mother's blue eyes.

He was also mute.

The two two-year-olds stopped crying enough to realize he was there, and Yrael proceeded to demonstrate one of his hobbies—shadow-puppets.

"That worked," Torrigan noted upon hearing them start giggling.

Belgaer didn't say anything about it. He couldn't afford to be distracted right now—next up was his first part of the mission.

* * *

><p>The other side of Melian City was where all the upper-class families lived, although not all of them lived in fancy homes. The Blackwell family was an example, and their three-year-old daughter was the third target.<p>

It was the dead of night, and Belgaer made sure the security system was disarmed before he picked the lock to the front door.

The girl's room was next to her parents' room, so he'd have to be very quiet. She squirmed a bit when he picked her up, muttering "Wanna sleep," but didn't wake up. Not until he was outside in the rain, although it was a thunderclap which woke her up. She stared at him with wide blue eyes, realizing he was someone she didn't know.

"Don't you dare," Belgaer hissed, sensing what was coming. But did Jinja listen? No, of course not.

The girl let out a shriek, and Belgaer swore loudly before breaking into a dash, covering her mouth and hissing that what he said was not to be repeated.

* * *

><p>"And you scolded us for Chase and Bren crying," Sabriel said drily.<p>

"Shut up," Belgaer retorted. "We need to start out for Mandala, _now _being the preferable time. The police will be searching the entire Melian Province for these brats."

Torrigan sighed heavily as Sabriel brought the little girl into the back area of the van. The commotion had woken Chase and Bren, and he stared at Jinja before poking her shoulder. She stared back at him before doing the same, smiling a little. The little black-haired boy smiled back, and Bren looked at her sleepily.

"They're friends already," Sabriel noted with a smile.

* * *

><p>As soon as they reached the frigid air, Jinja let them know it. "Better?" Belgaer asked, looking exasperated already.<p>

Jinja nodded, although she looked a little annoyed with the fact that the two younger boys were sharing the heavy blanket.

"We'll be back before sundown," Torrigan said. Belgaer nodded, and Yrael signed, _"Okay."_

It was a mile-long hike to the Library of Tebab, but both of them had done it plenty of times in the past few years. The trip back would be trickier, what with the precious cargo they would have, but they would have to deal.

When they got there, someone was waiting for them. "Master Ey," Torrigan greeted respectfully.

"It is good to see you both again," the elderly monk said. "I know why you are both here."

"For Beyal, yes," Sabriel confirmed.

A girl looking Yrael's age with dark hair and brown eyes was waiting inside. "Bekka, it is time," was all Master Ey said to her.

The girl nodded somberly, and disappeared down a hall. Soon after she returned, carrying a one-year-old with snowy-white hair who was babbling happily.

As Sabriel carefully took him, Bekka suddenly asked, "Why are you taking him?"

"To keep him safe," the woman responded. Looking at the infant's trusting gray eyes, she added, "There are some people who want him, and they can't be allowed to get him."

* * *

><p>The air had gone from frigid to hazy within a week. They were in the Gardil Province of the Lowlands now, so it was expected.<p>

They were at the quieter half of Gardil City, in search for the last of the five—a boy by the name of Dax Martinez.

"There," Torrigan said suddenly, pointing. At the end of the street there was a boy playing in the front yard. His mother was watching him at the moment.

Belgaer stepped out of the van, and told Torrigan to wait around the corner. Two minutes later, he returned with a struggling three-year-old. "Step on it," was all he said.

It was quickly found that Beyal did not like too much noise, as he started crying along with Dax—who immediately stopped, seeming to notice the others for the first time. Beyal stopped the instant Dax did, and stared at him curiously, instigating a staring contest which Jinja and even Yrael joined in on.

* * *

><p>"Part-one's done," Torrigan said quietly once the kids were all asleep that night.<p>

"Now for the harder half," Sabriel added. She sighed. "I can't imagine what their families are going through, though…"

"We don't have a choice," Belgaer said gruffly. "Council's orders. These kids are the only ones who can clean up the mess their ancestors created. This is the only way to keep them safe—you both know that."

"We do," Torrigan agreed grimly.

They would be in Southern Alappia in four days. After that…once a few years went by, their training to fulfill the Prophecy of the Five would begin.


	2. Prologue, Part 2

**_~Two Years Later~_**

In the time that went by, Belgaer had been correct in his belief that not even Jinja or Dax would remember anything that would jeopardize the plan.

It was late autumn, and the first snow of the year had fallen outside. Sabriel was proud of the five kids: Chase was the brave little leader, half of the time leading the games they played. Bren was timid, but he was intelligent. Torrigan had noticed that he was severely nearsighted, however.

Jinja was a total tomboy, but Sabriel wasn't surprised. They were the only girls around, after all—but the ginger-haired six-year-old always jumped to defend her "brothers."

Beyal was the quiet one. Whenever a fight broke out, he was always the one finding a resolution for it, which the three adults were glad for.

Lastly, Dax was the headstrong "ruffian" as Belgaer put it. He was a bit of a lone-wolf, but Beyal always found a way to drag him into a game.

* * *

><p>None of them were prepared for the particular question Jinja asked one night after dinner.<p>

Namely, "Where're my parents?" They all had very good grammar for their ages, thanks to Sabriel.

Belgaer had almost choked on his water. "What do you mean?" Torrigan asked in a very-slightly-nervous tone.

"You and Sabriel are Yrael's mom and dad," the girl went on. "What about mine?"

"Mine too," Bren piped up, Chase and Dax nodding their agreements.

The three adults exchanged pained looks, while Yrael stayed as still as a statue—his coined "statue pose" which he did when he was nervous. They already had an answer prepared for the question—but Sabriel didn't think they would ask this soon.

Belgaer went for it bluntly. "You five are orphans."

"…huh?" Dax asked.

"Your parents died when you were all little," Torrigan said carefully. "That's why we're taking care of you."

It took every bit of willpower for Sabriel not to flinch at seeing the looks on the kids' faces.

* * *

><p>November came and gone in what seemed to be the blink of an eye.<p>

"He needs glasses," Belgaer said to Torrigan one morning.

"You mean Bren?" the light-haired man asked blankly, still half-asleep.

"Of course I mean Bren! You need to go out to Wyverley and buy him some."

A pause. "You realize…I'll have to bring him with me," Torrigan said slowly.

"Don't remind me," Belgaer growled.

"Why don't we bring all five of them?" Sabriel asked, poking her head into the room, clearly having overheard the conversation.

Torrigan gave Belgaer a look. The dark-haired man groaned—he knew he was beat.

* * *

><p>The twenty-minute walk to Wyverley was filled with endless questions from the kids, such as:<p>

"Why is it so _cold_?"

"What's that white stuff?"

"What's that green thing?"

There had been a short argument between Chase and Dax on whether the pine tree in questions was green or brown, which was settled by Belgaer saying it was both and that they needed to be quiet otherwise they wouldn't get anything for dessert. Beyal had also asked about the clouds, although he had called them "white fluffies."

* * *

><p>"Now what?" Torrigan asked after they got Bren his glasses. Said boy kept blinking, trying to adjust to them.<p>

"We go home," Belgaer said simply.

Sabriel was about to protest when she saw Chase staring at something in a store window. Namely, a blue-and-white zipper jacket.

"Want it," the four-year-old said, pointing.

"Chase, that's too big for you," Sabriel said, frowning a bit.

"_Want it_," Chase repeated, gaining a stubborn expression.

The three adults sighed in defeated unison, while Yrael looked amused. Whenever Chase got stubborn about something, that was that. It was a good thing Torrigan had his credit-card on him.

As he was about to pay for the jacket, the clerk pointed, and Torrigan turned his head to see that Dax had a blue beanie hat on. The five-year-old put both arms over his head at seeing his look, as if trying to prevent him from taking it.

Giving in, the honey-haired man asked, "Does anyone else want anything?" Moments after Jinja came back with a watch, and Beyal had a talisman of some sort.

Torrigan winced upon seeing the high price of the latter's chosen souvenir. "It's an authentic Mandalan talisman," the clerk explained with a slight shrug.

"I want to say hello to Helena while we're here," Sabriel said once they were outside. Helena was the owner of a small ice-cream parlor which also sold hot-chocolate and coffee. She was also Sabriel's cousin…and was also aware of the prophecy.

* * *

><p>"It's been forever!" the black-haired woman greeted enthusiastically. "And—you brought the kids." She looked a mixture of somewhat-startled and nervous.<p>

"Bren needed glasses," Torrigan explained, patting said boy's head.

"I see…well, why don't I fix up some hot chocolate for them? It's cold out for the first of December."

"That'll do," Sabriel said.

It was after she handed four out did Helena pause. "I thought there were five…?"

Torrigan whirled around and did a head-count. He immediately noticed that the three-year-old was obviously _not there_.

* * *

><p>"Kitty, come back!" Beyal exclaimed, running after the streak of shadow in the snow, dodging around people as he went.<p>

He wished the kitty would slow down—his legs were getting tired, and splashing in some puddles made his feet cold.

Abruptly the cat stopped and turned towards him, backed against a wall. Smiling, he reached to pet it—only to fall backwards with a cry as it lashed out with its claws while hissing, catching his hand before running off.

Beyal bit his lip to keep from crying, but still felt some tears run down his face. "Sabriel?" he asked, looking around.

Wait—where was everyone?!

* * *

><p>Aryanna Dyrim had a bad feeling about that day, but the Ambala Province citizen didn't know why.<p>

She had come hoping to see her brother, who she hadn't seen in _forever_, but she had no idea where exactly he lived. All she knew was that it was either in Wyverley or Wyverre—somewhere in Southern Alappia.

She also knew that he was part of some "secret club" or whatever along with his wife, who was friendly enough, but neither of them were allowed to talk about it.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the unmistakable sound of a kid crying. There, sitting on the steps, was a little boy wearing a white winter coat over a dark-blue shirt and black pants. Aryanna saw that he must have been scratched by a cat on his hand—she had been scratched by her neighbor's cat plenty of times.

But what stood out the most about the boy was that his hair was as white as snow. "Hey little guy," she greeted. "What're you doing all alone for?" He looked up at her with wide gray eyes. "Where are you parents?" she went on. That only issued another episode of crying. "Okay, stop with the waterworks please," she asked quickly. She really couldn't stand seeing anyone crying, _especially _little kids. "Tell you what—I'll bring you to my place, I'll call my brother, and we can look for your family. Okay?"

She had been planning on a surprise visit, but oh well. Wait until she told Torrigan about _this_!

* * *

><p>"Any luck?" Torrigan asked once they met up at the parlor.<p>

"No," Belgaer growled, and Yrael shook his head.

"This is all my fault!" Sabriel wailed.

"No it isn—" Torrigan _tried _saying, but Belgaer interrupted.

"_YOU THINK?!_" he roared. "I wanted to get Bren his glasses and go right back. But _no_, you wanted to bring all of them—and now look what's happened!" Sabriel was silent. "That kid's as good as dead," Belgaer went on. "We won't be able to risk bringing the others out again until _I'm _certain they're ready. UNDERSTAND?"

_Which won't be until they're thirty, I'm sure,_ Torrigan thought darkly as they started back.

"Wait—_what about Beyal_?" Jinja exclaimed. The outburst only got Sabriel to cry even more.

* * *

><p><strong>I am 99% sure that Monsuno takes place in it's own 'verse. <strong>

**This fic will also include quite a few headcanons of my own and a few friends of mine.**


	3. Prologue, Part 3

_"It's been forever!"_ Aryanna exclaimed over the phone.

"Yes, I know," Torrigan replied in a resigned tone. He had no idea why his sister had to be so hyper. "Listen, I need to ask—"

_"You'll never guess what happened earlier today," _his sister interrupted. _"I found a little kid!"_

"Okay, so you found—wait _what_?!"

_"A little boy, about three or so," _Aryanna yammered on. _"Something wrong?"_

"Does he have white hair?" Torrigan asked, getting Sabriel, Belgaer, and Yrael to stare at him.

_"Yeah…why?"_

A wide grin split his face. "His name's Beyal—and it just so happens I know exactly where his family is." Right as he finished speaking his wife let out a shriek of joy.

_"Oh, you do?"_ his sister asked. _"Want me to turn around? I'm halfway home, you know."_

"No, get back to Ambala City, and don't stop for anything," he replied firmly. "Sabriel and I will come pick him up in the morning, got it?"

_"Okay…?"_

He hung up after that. "Aryanna found him," he said. "She's almost to Ambala, so we're going to get him first thing tomorrow morning."

* * *

><p>Aryanna had never heard her older brother use that tone of voice before. He had almost sounded…<em>scared<em> of something. The little boy—Beyal—was sitting quietly in the back of the car. She had earlier stopped to refuel in a smaller town, buying him a stuffed toy snake while she was at it, which he refused to let go of.

Then Aryanna saw something strange in the twilight. There was someone standing in the middle of the road, wearing what honestly looked like a white lab coat.

She stopped the car a meter and a half away, and waited for him to move. He didn't. Rolling the window down, she asked in an irritated tone, "What are you doing?"

He looked up—showing that he had way-too-bright green eyes that looked downright _creepy_, and said, "I have come for the boy."

_Don't stop for anything,_ Torrigan had said. Whoops.

"Sorry, but I'm bringing him home in the morning," she said slowly, formulating an idea.

Whatever that guy was, she didn't trust him at all. Something about him seemed…_unnatural_.

* * *

><p>Beyal didn't know why the nice lady stopped the car, but he did know one thing: the man outside scared him. He didn't know why, but he just did.<p>

The lady paused, and got out of the car before opening his door. "Beyal, as soon as I put you down, run as fast as you can," she whispered. "Okay? I'll deal with this weirdo."

He nodded, a little confused.

Beyal did as she told, ignoring the shouts—and the heavy silence that followed, which was only broken by the snow crunching under his feet.

* * *

><p>"Why are we always the ones stuck on late-night recon?" one of the two soldiers asked while stifling a yawn.<p>

"No idea," the other responded. "At least there's no ice on the—hey, what's that?"

A van was pulled over on the side of the road, and it looked like there was someone lying on the pavement a little ways off…

* * *

><p>Torrigan and Sabriel went into Wyverley at daybreak. They encountered Helena…and her expression upon seeing them had them both worrying. "What is it?" Sabriel asked.<p>

"I'm sorry," was all she replied. "I'm, so, so sorry."

"Why?" Torrigan asked, feeling a sense of great unease.

The parlor owner looked at him, and said, "They found Aryanna two miles away from Ambala an hour ago."

Torrigan went deathly pale in understanding. "Was Beyal there?" Sabriel asked fearfully.

"No," Helena replied grimly. "There weren't any footprints…but it snowed last night…"

"So he might be okay."

"It's unlikely."

* * *

><p>The three-year-old had never been so tired, or so cold. He kept running until he couldn't feel his feet anymore, and had noticed some of the cold-wet white stuff falling from the sky—snow, the others had called it.<p>

Shivering, he clutched his toy snake closer to himself and put his coat hood up. As much as he wanted to find a dry spot and stay there until the sun came back, the nice lady had told him to run. Part of him wanted to keep running anyways.

So as compensation, he kept walking for a while, until he was tired to the point where he ended up walking into a fence. He yawned, and found a spot to curl up. He'd just sleep for a few minutes…

* * *

><p>"This is just <em>fantastic<em>," Belgaer muttered. "We lost one of the five for good."

"Maybe not," Sabriel put in hopefully. "He might've gotten away. Helena said it snowed last night."

"Don't forget who's fault this is in the first place!" he snapped. "Besides…even if he did get away, chances are he didn't make it through the night. You know how cold it gets out there at night, _especially _in the winter. Not to mention the wolves and mountain-lions." Sabriel was silenced.

Belgaer sighted before saying, "We'll just have to make do with the remaining four."

* * *

><p>The fact that she had been up at <em>four in the morning<em> was enough reason for Charlemagne to be irritable. Added to that was the issue of a civilian from Ambala being found dead on a road near the base—clearly a murder of some kind; it hadn't been a pretty sight, according to the recon patrol that had reported it. That was also why she was en-route to said base. The sun was just starting to come up at this point.

Abruptly the H-Tram stopped. After gritting her teeth, she forced herself to calmly ask, "Vhat are you doing?"

"What's that?" one of the accompanying soldiers asked in response, pointing. A few feet away there was something in the snow—which, in what little light there was, she could see _definitely_ wasn't just a snowbank.

Upon closer examination, she saw that it was a little kid—a boy that looked no older than three. He was wearing a white coat over a blue shirt, and black pants, and was wearing a talisman of some sort as a necklace. Not to mention his hair was white.

"Hey kid, you okay?" one of the soldiers who had followed her out asked, tapping the kid on the arm. The boy muttered some gibberish in response—he was pale, and shivering slightly.

"Must've been out all night," another said. "We're not just gonna leave him here, are we?"

The Commandant gave him a look that said _"What do you think?"_ before picking the boy up. He was limp as a ragdoll, and his jacket was pretty much soaked.

"Good thing we're almost there," the driver muttered. "He probably has hypothermia." Biggest concern at the moment was finding a way to warm him up.

The three soldiers in the H-Tram were startled to see, when they glanced back, that their commanding officer had actually given the kid her jacket.

* * *

><p>Chase loved his new jacket, of course. Like Bren and his glasses, Jinja had her watch, and Dax with his hat. But it didn't feel right with their littlest brother not there.<p>

He hadn't been seeing Sabriel, Torrigan, Belgaer, or even Yrael too much. In fact, he'd only seen the others besides Belgaer only at breakfast that morning. Said person had banished them to their rooms immediately after they were done eating.

For some reason, he felt like he wasn't going to see Beyal for a long time.

* * *

><p>"He has some frostbite on top of the hypothermia, but other than that it's nothing too serious," the medic reported.<p>

"Anything else?" the Commandant pressed.

"We have no idea where exactly he's from," he finished. "That talisman is obviously Mandalan, but around here that region's nothing but mountains for the next hundred miles, with no civilization…as far as we know. And no one's missing a kid with whitehair in Ambala."

That was what Charlemagne _didn't _want to hear. All it meant was another problem on a whole stack of problems she had to deal with.

Oh well. She'd just get Commander Sayre to deal with the _looking-for-the-kid's-parents_ issue.

* * *

><p><strong>Pointing this out now: some characters will be a bit OOC, due to the fact that there are some very huge changes to the plotline. Hence it being AU.<strong>


	4. Chapter 1

**_My name's Chase. I guess I'm not really what you'd call a "typical teenager"—what with how me and my family live in what is pretty much a bunch of caverns all connected by a tunnel system._**

**_There's me of course, and seven others. Bren, for instance: he's not the bravest, but he's definitely the smartest. Jinja's the one I can always count on having my back in a fistfight—not even Dax can beat her in a drawn-out scrap. Dax…well, whenever there's trouble, he's normally in the middle of it…although I've heard that he says the same about me. That's us four—only half of it._**

Chase yawned and forced his eyes open, blinking a few times. Upon glancing at his clock, he leapt up. _Krag, I overslept!_ Worse—it was Monday.

**_Thing about Mondays and Fridays—we're expected to be in our "combat-training room" by eight sharp, for, obviously, combat-training…with Belgaer._**

**_Belgaer—one of our four "parents." He has black hair, dark-green eyes, and one heck of a scar on the left side of his face. He's also got the world's worst attitude, is strict as heck, and is mean in all capital letters. Not to mention he hates it when we're—_**

"Late _again_, Chase," their combat instructor growled. The teen's three siblings gave him sympathetic looks as the man went on. "Clearly you need to be asleep earlier." Chase said nothing. All talking back to Belgaer meant was getting in trouble. "Now—let's begin."

**_Not all Monday's horrible, though. Right after dealing with Belgaer, we have geography lessons with Yrael—although that class is more of Bren's thing than mine._**

**_Yrael's more of like an older brother to us—he's twenty-one. He's also incapable of speech, so he "talks" through sign-language—either the standard, or the one we all came up with. Not even his parents can read it. He's sort of happy-go-lucky, so we don't have to worry about getting in trouble with him on Tuesdays and Thursdays when we oversleep by accident._**

**_Probably because one day, _****he _was the last one up and we were the ones waiting for him._**

**_Yrael also has this weird little quirk. Most people just stop talking when they're nervous or scared. Since Yrael can't talk at all, he just freezes up. We all call it his "statue-stance," even Belgaer does._**

**_Then we come to Torrigan, who's Yrael's dad, and pretty much our official father-figure. He's also the combat instructor for Wednesdays and Saturdays. He's also the best cook _****ever_, and knows exactly what to say to each of us when we're upset. He used to have a sister named Aryanna—we never met her. Apparently she died ten years ago somehow…he gets upset whenever we ask, so it's off-limits._**

**_Lastly, Sabriel: the mother-figure for us all, and she covers everything the other three don't every Sunday…although the information by now is a little outdated, I think. None of us would know. Jinja does the best in that subject, though._**

**_Day in, day out, we go through the same stuff, every week of every month of every year. Like any self-respecting person, I wasn't about to take a whole life of that siting down._**

**_So I came up with a plan one night…_**

* * *

><p>The others stared at him. Chase returned their looks evenly, waiting for one of them to say something. He had an idea on what each one of them would say, if they decided to say anything.<p>

"You're nuts," Dax said finally—as expected.

"You really think we'll be able to _sneak away while everyone's sleeping_?" Bren asked—again, expected.

**_I should clear one thing up—the one and only day we ever went out was the day we got Bren's glasses…_**

Any further conversation was interrupted by Sabriel's call of "Dinner's ready everyone!"

It was about three minutes in that Jinja asked, "Can we go outside tomorrow?" Chase resisted the urge to facepalm.

All four adults froze. Torrigan opened his mouth to say something…but as usual, Belgaer beat him to it: "ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"Why?" the ginger-haired girl asked.

"You remember what happened to your _brother_, don't you?"

**_…and we lost Beyal, who was the youngest out of us._**

"Thanks to Jinja's little outburst there, I want you all studying the northern islands for the remaining twenty minutes before bedtime. And no dessert!"

**_And that's Belgaer's favorite punishment._**

"Thanks a lot Princess!" Dax exclaimed.

"Don't call me that!" she shot back. "You know I hate it!"

"And that's the exact reason _why_ I call you that!"

"Guys, cut it out," Chase intervened before they broke into a fistfight.

"Chase," Bren started.

"What?"

"Um…how did your plan go again?" Dax and Jinja both stared at him in shock, while Chase gave him a surprised look. "What?" the glasses-wearing teen asked. "I don't want to deal with Belgaer anymore, okay?"

The other two exchanged a quick look with each other. "You know Chase, if you wanted us to agree first off…" Jinja started.

"…you should've mentioned _no more Belgaer_," Dax finished.

"I probably should've," Chase agreed. "Okay, so tomorrow night?"

The others nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>"That was a bit harsh," Sabriel said two hours later.<p>

"A requirement," Belgaer replied.

_"I can't tell you that I don't know why they dislike you greatly,"_ Yrael signed. Belgaer glared at him.

Torrigan put a hand up suddenly. "Did you hear that?" he asked, glancing around. The other two fell silent, listening.

"What is that?" Sabriel whispered.

"Don't know," Belgaer said. "But we're going to go and find out. Come on."

* * *

><p>Chase found himself awake very suddenly, immediately knowing something was wrong. Mostly because it was nine in the morning and Belgaer hadn't screamed for him to wake up. It was also way too quiet.<p>

After quickly getting changed into his usual outfit—black shirt and brown pants—he looked into the hall. No one in sight, and his siblings' rooms' doors were all shut. Making a quick decision, he barged into his sister's room. Jinja immediately looked up at him, blinking sleepily. "Chase what—what time is it?"

"Nine," he replied, and her eyes widened.

"Why didn't anyone wake us up?" she asked, standing.

"I don't know! G-Get Dax up. I'll get Bren."

Not waiting for an answer, he went to said teen's room. As Bren didn't respond to Chase saying his name, he settled with dragging him off his bed. "Ow! Chase, what was that for?" After giving Bren his glasses, Chase told him. His brown eyes widened, and he quickly stood and ran into the hall, not bothering to change out of his pajamas.

Jinja and Dax were waiting. "So they're gone?" Dax asked, looking a little worried.

"Don't know," Chase replied. "Let's look for them!"

* * *

><p>They met up in the "lobby"—the large cavern near what was known as the "forbidden tunnel" AKA the exit to the caverns. The Wyve River, starting somewhere up in the mountains, flowed through the combat-training room, the kitchen, the storage room, and the lobby itself before flowing outside through the tunnel.<p>

"Any luck?" Chase asked.

"No," Jinja replied. "We looked everywhere!"

"Jinja's right," Dax said. The fact that he actually used her name meant he was serious. "We even checked their rooms."

"_Please _tell me this is just some sort of bad dream," Bren whimpered.

"I hate saying it B, but it isn't," Chase replied.

"What do we do?" Jinja asked.

Chase thought it over for a bit before his glance wandered to the exit. "Well…we could leave." Before any of the others could say anything, he added, "If something…_bad_ happened to them, we have to help them."

Silence for a bit. Then Dax said, "Sounds like a plan. Count me in."

"Yeah," Jinja agreed. "I say we go for it. Bren?"

"Well…if you guys are going, then yeah," the brown-haired teen said. "Let's do it."

* * *

><p><strong>I won't update again until I get another review.<strong>


	5. Chapter 2

_Let's see…spare clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, Yrael's pocketknife and compass, my jacket…yeah, I think I'm good._ Chase zipped the bag, and glanced over his room one more time before shutting the door. Something told him they wouldn't be coming back for a while. A long while.

The others were waiting. "I'm bringing the smaller map," Jinja said, holding it up. "And Torrigan's credit-card."

"Okay. So, everyone's ready?" Chase asked. They nodded. "Then let's move."

The air quickly grew warmer as they followed the river, and Chase felt a slight breeze. It was very sudden that they found themselves at the end of the tunnel. The caverns were located inside of a mountainside, the exit being on a high hill. Stretching out ahead was an open plain, with sparse clumps of bushes and trees. The entrance itself was well-hidden by brambles, which had to be pushed aside.

"Whoa," Chase breathed. "Killer view."

"Yeah," Dax agreed. "They couldn't at least let us _look_ outside."

"Save sightseeing for later boys," Jinja said. "Wyverley's a half-mile southeast of here. Maybe Helena's seen them."

Helena—the parlor owner who sometimes visited them and always brought either ice-cream or hot-chocolate depending on the time of year. "Yeah, maybe she can tell us something," Bren agreed.

* * *

><p>The parlor was crammed, of course—it was mid-May. The black-haired woman did a double-take upon seeing them. "Chase, what—why are you all here?"<p>

"Have you seen Sabriel or Torrigan at all?" Jinja asked. "None of them were around when we woke up. Not even a note or anything."

"Really?" Helena looked thoughtful. "Come to think of it, I could've sworn I saw Torrigan going in the general direction of Orchyre…although I haven't a clue why."

"Then we're going there," Chase said.

"Not yet. There's still some time before the train goes." She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote something on it before folding it and handing it to Jinja. "Bring that to the first store on the left, on the next street over. Ask for Fred, and give that to him. He'll help you."

* * *

><p>The shop she directed them to had an assortment of things in stock, from new clothes to cheap toys. It took a few moments for the clerk—a red-haired man with a mass of freckles—to notice them. "What can I do for you kids?" he asked.<p>

"We need to see someone named Fred," Chase said.

"Well, you found Fred."

"Helena asked us to give this to you," Jinja said, handing him the note.

"What's this, a love letter?" Grinning, he unfolded the note—and his smile vanished in record time as he read it. "Oh. Uh, I'll be one second…" Fred vanished into the back room, and returned while balancing four sleeping-bags and water-bottles expertly. "Can't go on a long trip without these. You can keep 'em—for free," the man said.

"Thanks," Dax said, and they turned to leave.

"If you're headed to Orchyre, you better hurry—train leaves in ten minutes!"

* * *

><p>They quickly found that Orchyre was nothing like Wyverley. For one, the buildings were mostly built out of wood instead of stone.<p>

A quick inquiry led them to find that someone matching Torrigan's description had indeed passed through town, leaving through the south exit. So commenced a few days of walking—after remembering to stock up on food, of course.

The landscape had become somewhat rugged, suggesting that they were no longer in Southern Alappia. It was as they were traveling along a ledge that Dax noticed something. "What's that?" he asked, pointing.

In a valley below was a building of some sort, overgrown with moss and ivy. Bren leaned forward a bit, trying to get a better look, and nearly fell off the ledge as a result. He would have if the other three hadn't caught him. "That was a close one," he said shakily. "Thanks guys."

"Don't sweat it," Dax replied.

Unfortunately, in saying that, Bren had jinxed them—the entire segment of ledge they were on crumbled away, causing them all to tumble down the slanted cliff, landing in a heap at the bottom.

"Well that was pleasant," Jinja muttered.

"Watch that first step—it's a killer," Chase agreed.

"Hey, we got down, didn't we?" Dax said, standing and brushing himself off. The odd building was right in front of them, practically. Now that they had a closer look, the building appeared to be made of metal. There was a blue symbol painted over the door as well, although it was partially hidden by some moss.

Curiosity peaking, Chase stood and started toward it. "Are you sure we should be doing this?" Bren asked nervously.

"I want to check this out," Chase replied. The door was ajar, so all he had to do was push it open more so they could fit through.

It was dark inside—they couldn't really see anything. It was as Chase put his hand on the wall subconsciously that he felt a switch of some sort. True to his nature, he flipped it, and the lights above flickered on.

"Whoa!" the four exclaimed at the same time. The room they were in was the single most impressive thing they'd ever seen, also proving their suspicions of Sabriel's tech lessons being _horrendously_ outdated. There was some sort of large device in the center of the room, like a metal field of some sort, having a multitude of screens and buttons circling it—the purpose of which unknown. There were some discarded papers here and there on the floor, and some overturned chairs.

There was also a safe-door in the back, a pad set into the wall beside it—side-by-side was a keyhole and a blank screen.

"Looks like someone searched the place," Jinja noted after a few minutes of curious investigation.

"You're telling me," Dax agreed, looking at a few other devices set to the floor. Bren had picked up a chair and was looking over the few papers left on the floor.

Chase, meanwhile, chose to investigate the mystery door. There didn't seem to be a way to open it…or was there? He stared hard at the keyhole. "Hey, Dax?" he called.

"What?"

"Did you bring your door-opener?"

"Sure did." The dark-skinned teen came over, taking a small box from his bag.

"Think you could open this?" Chase asked, jerking a thumb at the door. That was one of Dax's talents—picking locks. Belgaer had confiscated his lock-picking equipment more times than they'd care to count, but he always got it back somehow.

Dax gained a hurt expression, although Chase knew it wasn't really. "You wound me. I can get that open. Just watch." He took a paperclip from the box, straightened it a little, and stuck the end into the keyhole.

Exactly two seconds later he yelped and let go—the clip promptly melted. "That's never happened," Chase said after a moment of staring.

"I'm not finished yet," Dax growled, taking out a bobby-pin—which also ended up as a puddle of melted plastic. Even the screwdriver came out with a disfigured head. "Great, now I need a new one," Dax complained.

Chase sighed. Dax had never been beaten by a lock before now, but his one was clearly put together by someone who knew what they were doing.

So he turned his attention to the blank pad. The surface of it was clear and shiny. Smooth as well, as he ran a finger over it. Strangely, it lit up blue, causing him to pull his hand back immediately. The screen stayed lit.

After glancing at Dax—who had kicked the door in frustration and now looked equally mystified—Chase took a breath, and put his hand on it.

As he watched, a white line moved both horizontally and vertically along the pad—which promptly turned green…and they heard something click from the door, which opened slightly.

Dax gave him a dumbfounded look as the other two came over to investigate. "The one time we find a door I can't get open, _you_ get it open?"

"You couldn't open a door?" Jinja asked immediately.

"One-time only thing Princess, and you missed it."

Chase opened the door further. "Is that a good idea?" Bren asked. "I mean—what if it was locked for a reason?"

"Then it's a reason I want to know," Chase replied. Inside the room—which was mostly empty—there was one thing that had their attention. Suspended mid-air were four cylindrical objects, colored various shades of blue, about two inches long each, filled with a strange, sparkling blue-glowing plasma-like substance.

"What are those?" Jinja asked.

"And what's _this_?" Bren asked, picking something rectangular in shape up. It was metal, and had a blank screen on one side.

Chase took one of the cylinders, the light-blue one with the white grips. It lit up brighter for a brief moment. "Yo, Chase, think we can keep these?" Dax asked, taking another—sky-blue with tan grips.

"Um, Dax? That would be stealing," Jinja reprimanded.

"Whoever owns this place must've left in a hurry," Chase mused. "And with how it's been ransacked, I think whoever came here before us was looking for something…"

"And?" Bren asked.

"The only untouched place is this room. So they must've been looking for these."

"That's not the point," Jinja said, frowning.

"Point is, Jin—not even Dax could get that door open, but I could. I think these things, whatever they are…might be for us."

"You heard the man Princess," Dax said with a smug look. "Take your pick."

"Oh, fine," the girl muttered, taking one of the cylinders—the sky-blue one with brown grips.

This left Bren with the last one, which was turquoise with black grips. "Hey, this one looks empty," the glasses-wearing teen said. True—it was lacking the glowy-blue stuff.

"Huh," Chase muttered. "That's weird." He felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle. "I think we better go now…"

As they were halfway across the main room, they heard footsteps approaching. Chase said the first thing that came to mind: "Quick, hide!"

They lunged for different sides of the room—Chase and Jinja hiding under a desk at the left of the room, while Bren and Dax hid under one at the right.

A group of people wearing black outfits came into the room, led by a guy with black hair and brown eyes. He stopped upon seeing the safe-door open, mouth partly open in what was clearly shock.

* * *

><p>Trey Cormier was dumbfounded. He had brought a few soldiers and a technician to try and open the safe—<em>try<em> being the operative word—and what do they find?

The door open, and the cores and Core-Tablet gone. "Impossible!" he exclaimed. "Only Suno has the key to that thing!"

"Maybe he came back?" a soldier suggested.

"We would've known if he had," another said.

The technician glanced around. "Sir, it looks like someone's been in here," he said, pointing at some papers—which had been stacked neatly on a desk. Trey went over to look at them—it had things they already knew on it, which was the reason why those had been left behind.

The safe's lock had been designed by Jeredy Suno himself. The only way to get it open was to either have the key, or…

He stopped the thought. Everyone knew that he second way was impossible. "There's no point in staying here looking for something that's gone," he said. _This is going to be_ fun _to report…_ As they were going, one of the soldiers suddenly stopped and turned his head.

"What is it?" the commander asked him.

"Thought I heard something…" The soldier shook his head. "It's nothing."

* * *

><p>"Cores, huh?" Chase muttered after he was sure they were gone. He had nearly panicked when that person had looked his and Jinja's way, but to their relief, he had dismissed the thought of hearing something. They all came out of their hiding spots.<p>

"Chase, we should just put these back," Jinja said. "What if those people had found us?"

"Yet they didn't. That's saying something, Jin. You know what Sabriel always says…"

"Whatever happens is meant to happen, I know." She sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing here, Chase."

* * *

><p>It took Charlemagne a few moments to register what Trey had just said over the communicator. "Vhat do you mean, zhey veren't there?" she shouted.<p>

"All I know is that they aren't there! And I don't know who could've gotten in there other than Suno either! They're just _gone_!"

Any response she would've made was derailed by a sudden realization. Whoever had the cores now somehow managed to get that door open—and the computer operating the lock was simply _impossible_ to hack. Jeredy was the only one with the key for it—and from what they knew, he wasn't anywhere in that area.

Another idea nearly came to mind, but she stopped it. It wasn't possible, anyway…or was it?


	6. Chapter 3

**Another chapter because I'm in a good mood. Reviews make authors happy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>They decided to camp out in a thicket for the day, not too far from the building. Bren was sitting on a rock, studying every inch of the rectangular device he had taken.<p>

"Bren, we don't even know what that is," Jinja said.

"Yeah, but I want to figure out what it is," he replied.

"Just listen to Princess for once and give it a rest already four-eyes," Dax said. Bren glared at him briefly before looking at the device again.

It was when he tilted it slightly to one side did he finally notice a button on the side that he hadn't noticed. Shrugging a bit, he pressed it—and the screen lit up so suddenly that he let out a startled yelp and dropped it.

Immediately a few different icons appeared on the screen, similar to those on Belgaer's dinosaur of a computer. The others came over to look. "Well, you turned it on at least," Chase said, picking it up and giving it to Bren.

The icons had labels by them, thankfully, and the one that caught his eye was the one labeled "audio files." Experimentally he tapped it (as there were no keys) and a list opened up. _Yup. Sabriel's lessons really were outdated. Big time._ "Try that one," Jinja suggested, pointing at the one at the top. So he did.

An image materialized above the screen—causing them all to flinch back in surprise—of a man with scruffy black hair and gray eyes, wearing a white lab coat. _"Science entry 548-92—Jeredy Suno, Protocol 3," _the image said. Clearly it was a recording of some kind. Chase recalled those people earlier mentioning a "Suno"—was this him?

A few images in a slideshow were shown: a cliff, with a strange, sparkling green substance highlighted in it. _"Early exploration into Monsuno essence shows that it is an energy source that seems very promising. Mining operations under my supervision have shown great quantities of the material worldwide—much of it in the Alto Desert and Northpoint, and a strange lack of it on the island of Orugaron. Only after intense research did I discover that the glowing plasma is actually a life-form. It is DNA…living essence. So I named it 'Monsuno.' A bit of vanity, I know, but I couldn't help myself."_

"Monsuno?" Dax repeated in a mutter, and Jinja shushed him.

_"I and two acquaintances developed a way to give the Monsuno essence a way to hyper-evolve." _Another hologram appeared—of a core. The recording stated as such. _"By combining various elements and animal DNA, the core can be spun out, creating Monsuno that, after observation, had shown to have a direct connection to the one who spun it out, its controller. The core is not only the creative platform for a Monsuno, but also their home and regenerative station. A Monsuno must return to its core every eight minutes to rest and recharge."_

The recording ended then. "Okay," Chase said after a minute. "At least we know what the cores are for now."

"But what did he mean by _spin out_ though?" Dax asked.

"No idea," Jinja said. "And we still don't know what _exactly _they are either."

Bren looked at another icon, which seemed promising for the aforementioned matter, and opened it. Immediately six icons with images of different cores appeared, as well as with another audio file. This time Chase tapped it.

_"Things have taken a turn for the worse," _the recording started, sounding static-y. _"And I suspect that I am at fault for it. I don't think I'm safe here anymore, not even from STORM, so I am locking this Core-Tablet and three of the four Monsunos I still have in my possession within a safe in the lab: Lock, Charger, and Airswitch—as well as Quickforce's core. I know for certain that no one will be able to enter the safe, as I have the key. There is a secondary way to open the safe, but…as I have used the prototype setting, it won't open for anyone in STORM, or even myself; it will only react to—" _It cut off after that.

"That's the latest entry," Bren said after a bit. "I wonder what he meant by that…"

"Me too," Chase agreed. "So these things have names…" He looked at his core as he spoke. "Question is, who has which one?"

"Well, I think I have Quickforce," Bren stated. "He said he left only the core, but not the…Monsuno. Let me look at these." He tapped the icon of Chase's core. The file had a picture, even—it was Lock, and it was a polar-bear that had blue crystals growing form its back and legs. Upon seeing, Chase grinned like a kid with a new toy—which was technically the case.

Jinja apparently had Charger, which was a cross between a moose and an armadillo, the tips of its antlers having crystal encasing them. Which left Dax with Airswitch—a four-winged hawk-vulture.

Bren noticed something else about Airswitch. "Look who has four eyes," he said with a smirk.

"Shut up," was Dax's response.

Finally they looked at Quickforce. "Can we switch?" Jinja asked after a moment.

"No way!" Bren shot back. "You picked Charger, and I picked Quickforce!"

"Actually it was the only one left," Dax corrected.

Bren ignored him. "Besides…where is Quickforce?"

"Maybe that can help?" Chase asked, pointing. Lo and behold, there was another audio file, which Bren immediately pulled up.

_"Core-Tech core number A-0-2. Experimental Monsuno 2-2-5. Name: Quickforce. During my primary experiments in Monsuno spinning, I attempted to use a highly-volatile sample of Monsuno essence. The Monsuno produced was powerful, destructive, and one-hundred percent unpredictable. Through Quickforce, I estimated a Monsuno's limits—vital knowledge for my work. STORM wanted to exceed those limits…they ordered cruel and painful tests. I refused. In response, they took everything: equipment, research…and Quickforce. I had suspected that they might perform their cruel experiments despite my protests. So I switched out Quickforce's core with a fake. The experimental field is the only thing keeping Quickforce alive. I plan to recover it as soon as possible, and return it to its core. It is a dangerous strategy, as it may reject my control, and may even kill me. I plan to do this regardless of the possible outcomes, as I have already discovered where Quickforce is being kept."_

Four numbers—coordinates—appeared on the screen. Jinja looked at them, then at the map. "That's half a day away from here," she said. "If we start off at dawn tomorrow, we can reach there by noon. That would be without breaks, though."

"If we walk," Dax put in.

"Well…walking's all we can do."

The oldest of the four grinned. "Airswitch is a bird, isn't he?"

Chase gave him a look. "What do you mean, Dax?"

"Maybe we could fly." Dax threw Airswitch's core up and caught it as he said this.

"Dax, that might not work," Jinja said, trying to reason. "What if it's too small for all of us? You see how small the core is. Besides, we don't even know how to—"

She was interrupted when Dax threw the core in a manner so that it spun. It began glowing brightly as it went, until it finally hit an old stump with a slight _clank_.

They all had to shield their eyes from the blindingly-bright blue flash of light that resulted. When they could look, there stood Airswitch in all its glory, just like the picture. And all of them would be able to fit on it. "I stand corrected," Jinja said, eyes wide.

"Well, what're we waiting for?" Dax asked. "Let's go!"

* * *

><p>It was dusk when the base—which was smaller than expected, looking more like a lab—came into sight. Chase had mentally been going over the recordings from the "Core-Tablet" as it was apparently called—said computer-like device was being kept in Bren's bag. <em>STORM…that must be who those people earlier work for.<em>

"Um, Chase?" Bren asked. "How are we supposed to get into the base?"

"Uh…good question."

Airswitch landed by a roadside, and they climbed off. "He looks tired," Jinja noted.

"Yeah," Dax agreed, patting the Monsuno's beak. "So, how're we supposed to get him back into his core, anyways?"

"Maybe there's something on how to get them to return in the—" Bren broke off in a squeak when Airswitch looked at him. A noticeable detail about the hawk-vulture's face, other than having four eyes, was that it had a jagged beak. Which was quite fearsome-looking up-close.

Dax paused, looked at his core, and said, "Return?" That was the word: Airswitch immediately reverted into blue essence, which shot into its core. "Well that worked," Dax said after a few moments of silence.

"Hang on guys," Chase said as he saw headlights approaching. "I have an idea."

* * *

><p>"Hey, what's that?" one of the two soldiers—the one driving—asked, stopping the H-Tram. It looked like…some kids? "What're you doing all the way out here?"<p>

"We sorta got lost," one of them—a black-haired boy with teal eyes—said sheepishly.

The driver sighed, exasperated—this was the third time they'd found lost civilians this week. They weren't kidding when they said everywhere in this forest looked the same. "Don't worry, we'll get you all to town," he said.

"Thanks," the boy replied, as he and the others came in. Not even ten seconds later, both soldiers were unconscious.

* * *

><p>"Nice one guys!" Chase complimented.<p>

"No problem," Jinja replied, while Dax and Bren finished tying the two up. Belgaer's combat lessons were quite effective. "Now what?"

"We use this to get into the base," Chase said, looking at the steering console. "Except…driving it might be a problem."

"That, you can leave to me," the ginger-haired girl said. "It can't be too hard."

"Famous last words," Dax muttered.

* * *

><p>The next eight minutes were quite harrowing. Mostly because Jinja nearly crashed into a few trees. They did eventually make it to their destination, however.<p>

The large room where the vehicles were was vacant at the time, luckily. "Ventilation ducts," Chase said suddenly.

"What about 'em?" Dax asked.

"Remember that TV show, with the superdog? Episode nineteen—when they snuck into that base?"

"Oh yeah…"

There was another vehicle underneath a duct. It was a slight hassle reaching it—Dax had to pose as temporary stepstool for them to reach, since he was the strongest of the four—but they made it anyhow. And just in time as well—a trio of soldiers had come in right after Chase put the grate back into its place.

So commenced about seventeen minutes of crawling through ventilation ducts that were, thankfully, about three-and-a-half feet wide.

"Hold on," Chase whispered, stopping. "I think we found it."

There was a side-grate, so they could all see out. It was a room full of scientists, along with two important-looking people. One was the guy they had seen earlier that day—wasn't his name Trey? The other was a blond-haired man with a scar on his forehead.

And in the middle of a metal field just like back at the abandoned lab—except this one had a transparent green wall of some sort around it—was Quickforce.

The Monsuno was screeching furiously as the scientists continuously hit it with a red beam of some kind, which was clearly hurting it. Bren grit his teeth. "They can't do that to my Monsuno!" he hissed. "It—it's inhumane!"

"My thoughts exactly," Jinja growled. "But-how are we supposed to get them all out of there?"

Chase paused. "Jin—Charger!"

She looked at him like he was nuts, and thought she was going to say as such—but instead she grinned. "Nice idea. And I take it you're about to say—"

"—I'm coming for the party too."

* * *

><p>They soon found another vehicle bay, also empty. "Now what?" Jinja asked.<p>

"Well…" Chase looked around, and a red button on the wall caught his attention. "Jin, what do you think that button does?"

She looked first at him, then at the button, back at him, and sighed. "I don't know, but something tells me you're gonna press it anyways."

"You know me too well, sis."

He ran over to the button and slammed his fist on it, and as Jinja predicted, an alarm began blaring loudly, which meant they'd likely have company in a bit. "I hope you know what you just did, Chase," she said.

* * *

><p>"Intruders?" Trey exclaimed. As if the day hadn't been bad enough!<p>

"We better see what it is," Jon Ace said.

"Whoever it is, they're gonna regret coming here—I'll be sure of that!"

* * *

><p>The moment the door closed, Dax kicked the grate out, and the duo jumped down—although Bren slipped on the landing.<p>

"Don't make me use this thing, 'cause I will!" Dax threatened, taking out Airswitch's core. Immediately all the scientists assumed harmless postures. "Alright, now turn that thing off," Dax said, pointing at the stasis field.

"Are you insane kid?" one of the scientists exclaimed. "That thing'll tear us all apart!"

"Do you know that for sure?" Bren piped up. The Monsuno had noticed the commotion; it was staring at the two unfamiliar faces harshly. "Besides," he went on. "We have his core." He held said object up.

The scientist paused, and looked between them and the Monsuno. Then he went to a console, and after a moment's hesitation, pressed a button.

The green field vanished, and Quickforce craned its neck to look at the one holding its core closely. "N-Nice horsey," Bren said in a shaky voice. "Good horsey…not gonna hurt you…"

Dax could remember very clearly every word that the recording on Quickforce's file had said—that it might reject someone's control.

Bren held out the core, and said, "Return."

For one horrible moment, Quickforce didn't do anything. Then it gave a small snort, and proceeded to do as such.

* * *

><p>Both Chase and Jinja turned when they heard a door open, and the two important-looking people that had been in the lab ran in. "How did you get in here?" Trey demanded.<p>

Neither of the two answered, instead glaring. The blond-haired man intervened. "Slow down, Trey," he said, glancing at the two. He paused. "Where did you get those Core-Tech cores?"

"You know the protocol, Ace!" Trey said. "Take them!"

The other commander sighed before saying, "You're in over your heads, kids. This is for your own good." He took out a _black and yellow _core and ran a safe distance away before spinning it out, shouting "Blackbullet, launch!" Trey followed with a Monsuno named Riccoshot.

Chase and Jinja retaliated in the same manner with Lock and Charger.

The four cores sped toward each other, colliding. A blinding flash of blue and yellow illuminated the area. A falcon with four wings like Airswitch arced around the room, while a giant armored beetle stood its ground beneath it. Lock and Charger both let out battle cries—they looked exactly as in the image.

"Lock look out!" Chase exclaimed as Blackbullet sped toward the polar-bear. The order came too late—Blackbullet smashed into Lock, knocking him out of the building. The falcon flew out and into the sky.  
>Chase ran outside. "Lock, get up!" He looked around. <em>Where'd it go?<em> A gleam caught his eye—it was coming from above!

Again Lock was knocked backwards. Chase looked at his core, and saw that a five-segmented diagram had appeared holographically over the core—it lost one whole segment and a quarter of the second. _Krag! Where the heck is that thing?_ He looked up, and saw Blackbullet outlined against the moon. "Block!" Chase yelled.  
>The Monsuno actually put a force-field up—Blackbullet slammed into it beak-first, but all it did was send Lock flying into a vehicle that looked like a cross between a snowmobile and a helicopter, which promptly exploded.<p>

"Sorry kid," Blackbullet's controller said. "That kind of shield is useless in a fight."

Chase looked at the core—Lock hadn't taken any damage. "We're not giving up yet!" he shouted.  
>Again Blackbullet came in. "Shield, again!" Chase said. But Lock did nothing. <em>What—?<em> He froze, realizing. "Do it Lock!"

When Blackbullet came in close—Lock jumped, slamming onto the falcon's back. The STORM Monsuno screeched in pain.

Chase heard an explosion from the building, and saw Riccoshot take a head-on collision from Charger's antlers.

* * *

><p>Jon Ace was in shock. <em>Unbelievable,<em> he thought as he saw Trey's Monsuno return to its core. _Normally that would take years of training, to master perfect timing like that! These kids are something else…_

The question was—how in the world had they gotten those cores? He had watched Jeredy set the lock himself…

Something was fishy about this, and he was going to get to the bottom of it. One way or another.

* * *

><p>"Blackbullet, return!"<p>

The order came as a surprise to Chase. He blinked in shock, and exclaimed, "Alright, we won!"

Trey looked furious. "Soldier, get me Goldhorn and Venomeleon," he growled.

"Yes sir!" a soldier replied, running back toward the base.

"Trey, are you serious? That's excessive force!" Blackbullet's controller countered.

"Can it Ace!" Trey shot back. "Those kids are going down, and they're not getting back up."

Chase nearly jumped when he heard a third voice: "I can take care of it." A boy that looked perhaps a year younger than him came out. He was wearing a black shirt, gray-colored pants, and was wearing a talisman of some kind. He had gray eyes, and pure-white hair.

Trey looked like he was going to say something, but the other commander interrupted. "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive," the teen replied, taking out a black-and-yellow core. Trey stiffened before sighing.

"Fine," he muttered. "But if he loses, I'm taking over."

Chase studied his new opponent—he definitely looked confident. The teen gave him a steely look in return before shouting "Glowblade, launch!" and spinning his core out. It collided with one of the flying vehicles in a burst of bright-yellow light.

The Monsuno that appeared caused Chase to gasp in shock. For one, it had _three _heads. It was a snake, the center head implying that it was a cobra, as it had a hood. It also had eight spider-like legs on the side of its neck…necks…Chase wasn't sure which word to use. All eight had blades perfectly grafted in, looking wickedly sharp. Its tail had a double-blade at the tip as well, resembling a scorpion's tail. It was ebony in color—the only exceptions were its glowing yellow markings. It hissed with all three heads at Lock and Charger in a threatening manner.

"That guy looks like he means business," Jinja said quietly to him, coming up. "We might want to watch it."

Chase clenched a fist. "I'm not backing out, though! Get 'im, Lock!"

"You too Charger!" Jinja followed.

The two Core-Tech Monsunos raced toward the serpent, but it nimbly slithered out of the way. "Electric Barrage!" its controller ordered. All three of Glowblade's heads spat orbs of plasmatic electrical energy at Charger—a direct hit, causing it to return to its core; the damage sustained from its previous fight must have been a lot. This wasn't looking good. _Here it comes again—!_

"Lock, Inner Shine!" he yelled, purely on impulse. Lock formed a shield just in time—the attacks dissolved against it, and immediately after the shield vanished, Lock shot a beam of pure energy at the snake, hitting it directly.

His opponent glared at him before saying, "Glowblade, Paralysis Fang!" It didn't take a genius to figure out what that would do.

"Lock, get out of there!" Chase shouted—but Lock, again, did not obey. _What's he waiting for? _It was at that moment that something from Belgaer's combat lessons came back to him: _"Wait for the opportune time to strike."_

"I get it…" he muttered. Glowblade was getting closer—it was right as it was about seven meters away did Chase say, "Lock, now! Jaw of Light!"

The attack hit the snake Monsuno directly in the face. It was sent flying backwards, promptly reverting into yellow-colored essence, which shot back into its core. The white-haired controller looked shocked.

Chase and Jinja both turned when they heard Bren shout their names—and saw both him and Dax, on Quickforce.

Dax promptly spun out Airswitch, which swooped down to pick up Chase and Jinja. The former was quick to call Lock back into his core before they got too far away.

Only then did Chase realize that they hadn't heard the white-haired teen's name at all.

* * *

><p>Once certain that they were a safe distance away, they stopped in a clearing to call the Monsunos back into their cores.<p>

"You know, if that wasn't a totally-over-the-top insane plan…well, I'd say that was fun," Jinja said.

"Yeah?" Chase questioned, eyes bright. He held up Lock's core. "You know, these guys are gonna make it a lot easier to find Sabriel and the others, I bet!" He laughed a bit. "This is gonna be one heck of an adventure!"

"Who was that other guy, anyways?" Bren asked suddenly.

Jinja looked thoughtful. "I don't think we heard his name. Did we?"

"No," Chase said, knowing who she meant. "Either it was just me, or he looked…familiar, kind of."


	7. Chapter 4

The heating system of the abandoned lab was still operational, so they had at least had a lukewarm breakfast. Bren, upon finishing, went to look in the safe again.

After a minute or two, they heard him call: "Hey, I found something!" He came out holding a bag, which also had the blue symbol that was outside the lab and on their cores embroidered on it in blue. Inside were a few cores—although they were grayed-out and empty.

"Talk about a jackpot!" Chase said, looking at them. "These'll come in handy eventually, I bet."

* * *

><p>The walk to the nearby town of Kyrè took three days. No sign of Torrigan anywhere, or the others. Figuring he had since come and gone, Chase asked someone if he had seen anyone matching Torrigan's description in town recently.<p>

The guy looked thoughtful. "You know, I think I did see someone like that two days ago. He took a train headed for Axistown."

"Thanks," Chase replied, and they turned toward the station—

Only to hear the guy add, "If you're going there, you might wanna stop and see Grandma Future."

"Who's that supposed to be?" Dax asked.

"I'm not sure, but my cousin who lives there says she supposedly knows _everything_. Like some sort of fortune-teller."

"_Everything_?" Chase repeated in a whisper. Exchanging quick looks with the others, he said, "We'll look into it. Thanks for the advice!"

* * *

><p><em>"We will be arriving in Axistown shortly. Please remain seated until the train has come to a complete stop."<em>

"So, what do you guys think Axistown is like?" Jinja asked.

"Beats me," Chase replied. "Our map's outdated—there's no Axistown on it at all. And these train-tracks aren't marked on it either."

"Why am I not surprised?" Dax muttered.

Bren was looking outside. "The view's pretty nice," he said. This part of the track was elevated on metal beams, since this part of the region was very, very marshy; near-impossible to build on without risking flooding and sinkholes. The glasses-wearing teen abruptly leaned forward a bit, eyes widening and mouth opening partly in shock.

"What're you gawking at Glasses?" Dax asked, looking. "Whoa!" he exclaimed after flinching a bit in surprise. "You guys need to see this!"

Chase looked at Jinja, who had an equally-mystified expression, and they went over to look. Their reactions were the same as the other two's. "Those are the tallest buildings I've ever seen!" Chase exclaimed, eyes wide.

* * *

><p>The instant the train doors opened, the four ran out into the station. "C'mon guys, I want to see this!" Chase said.<p>

"Wait a minute," Jinja protested, doing up to a railway map. "We should probably make sure our map's up-to-date first."

She had a point. As it turned out, there were quite a few towns and cities that weren't on the map, such as Westward City, Newmarket, and Lycia.

After ensuring that the two maps were identical, they went out—only to stop again. There were people _everywhere_. "Is this really a good idea?" Bren asked after a few moments.

"To be honest…I'm not so sure anymore," Chase replied. "Just stuck together—we don't want anyone getting lost."

* * *

><p>That nearly did happen a few times. It was only thanks to a brochure explaining "recommended tourists stops" that they learned where Grandma Future lived—a house on a hill surrounded by a garden, looking pleasant enough. Sitting in a char on the balcony was a little old lady with silver hair. The glasses she wore implied she was blind.<p>

"Is that her?" Bren asked no one in particular. "She doesn't look like much."

"You got that right," Dax agreed.

Suddenly Grandma Future spoke up. "Perhaps I can no longer see, but I can still hear perfectly fine. Do come in." She spoke with a defined Axistown accent, which they had heard from nearly every person they had passed on the way here.

They did as such after some hesitation. "Um, Grandma Future?" Jinja started. "We, um…can you help us?"

"We heard you know things…" Chase added.

"You're here looking for Torrigan."

"Yeah!" Chase was startled that she really did know, but his growing anticipation overwhelmed it. "You know him?"

"Of course. I used to watch Torrigan when he was little. How is he?"

"That's why we're here in the first place," Dax said. "He up and vanished a while ago. That's why we're all the way out here, looking for him."

"Then we must help him. When exactly did he disappear? What was he doing?"

"That's why we're here!" Jinja exclaimed. "We were hoping you could help us."

"Yes, yes, of course." Grandma Future stood. "Let me think a moment…" She walked slowly over to the balcony railing. "Ah yes, now I remember. Torrigan came to me two days ago, asking about the Underground."

"Really?" Chase exclaimed hopefully.

"Yes. He was looking for a man by the name of Mr. Black."

"Underground?" Bren asked, frowning a bit. "What's that supposed to be?"

"It is a place of evil, my child," the old woman said. "I warned Torrigan, though I can only wish he had listened. Now it rests on you. You must go. _You_ must find him. But remember, the road you are about to travel is one of danger. Here is the address." She gave it to Chase. "And…my special charm, for luck. Now go, but be careful. And let me know as soon as you find Torrigan."

* * *

><p>It was evening by the time they got there-it was on the other side of the city, by a waterfront. "I can't believe you took that stupid rock!" Dax exclaimed.<p>

"Dax, we need all the luck we can get right now," Chase said sadly, looking at the turquoise-colored stone. The address was an old warehouse. "Guys, help me with the door."

It took a minute, but they got it open. "So this is it?" Jinja asked, taking one step forward—

And a red-colored _thing_ lunged at them. All of them screamed and scrambled back. The creature—a Monsuno—resembled an insect.

Right as Dax was about to spin out Airswitch, a rough voice said "Snapclaw, return." The red Monsuno did as such after hissing at them one last time.

Now they saw its controller—a thickset man wearing a fancy-looking black suit. "You kids don't belong here," he growled. "Beat it!"

"Okay!" Bren yelped, turning to run. Dax grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him short.

"We need to see Mr. Black," Chase said, keeping his gaze straight.

The man scoffed. "Mr. Black doesn't see anyone."

"But—Grandma Future sent us!" Jinja piped up.

The man paused, and regarded them before saying, "Inside."

Past a corridor was a dark tunnel. It was also quiet long. One thing was dominating all of their thoughts at the time—what in the world had been up with that Monsuno? It just had a dangerous vibe to it. And it had been red.

Before any of them had a chance to ask about it, the tunnel suddenly ended, and they found themselves in a big, open room dominated by a stadium of some kind, filled with a lot of people who were cheering for—

Two red Monsunos fighting.

"What is this place?" Jinja asked no one in particular.

"Princess, I'd bet Airswitch's core that it's the Underground," Dax replied.

A man wearing a gray-colored suit and a fedora to match started toward them, looking exasperated. "Hey, how many times do I hafta tell you punks—core deliveries are at the back, and don't be jacking the price like—"

"W-wait a second," Chase said. "We aren't delivering anything—we're looking for Mr. Black."

"Heh. Must be your lucky day, 'cause you just found Mr. Black."

"Oh I get it!" Bren exclaimed. "They call you Mr. Black because of your bad teeth!"

Chase winced, Jinja hissed in a breath, and Dax facepalmed. Mr. Black subsequently got into Bren's face while saying, "You talking to me, punk?"

Jinja yanked Bren backwards and hissed, "Didn't I tell you to check with me _before_ you speak?"

"Mr. Black, Grandma Future said you can help us find someone," Chase started.

"What, your old man or somethin'?"

"Uh…not really…"

"I help a lotta people, kid—I'm in the business of helping people. Only problem is, this place is members only." He gestured to the left, and they saw some fancy-looking tables with fancy-looking people sitting at them. "Now, if I help you find whoever it is you need found, I'd be breaking my rules." He then got into Bren's face again. "I've been known to break a lot of things, but _never_ my rules." Bren gulped, backing away, shivering and whimpering.

Chase looked up. "Okay, where do I sign up for this club?"

"In there." The man pointed to the arena, where the fight had just ended. He paused briefly, and added, "Tell you what…you choose one of your little friends for a little tag-team type thing. If you win, I give you information, _and _those two jars of Monsuno magic'll be all yours." He pointed to where two guards were standing on either side of a glass case, which held two vials of sparkling green essence. "Those things are worth their weights in gold—pretty dangerous having 'em, I know, but it's an occupational hazard."

"You'll tell us where Torrigan is if we win?" Chase asked.

"Kid, I'll even draw you a map!"

Bren interjected. "And if we lose…?"

"Right…" He smirked. "Then I get to keep your Monsunos."

It was silent for a few moments. Chase knew it was risky. But if they could get a lead on where Torrigan was heading…well, and get those two vials…

"It's a deal," he said, ignoring the looks from the others. Mr. Black grinned in response.

Jinja dragged Chase over to an empty table, sitting down. "Chase, are you _insane_?" she asked.

"I'm with Princess on this," Dax said. "If you think I'm gonna risk Airswitch on something like this, you've got another thing coming!"

"No choice, guys. We _need _this information." He looked at the others. "So who's up for it?"

The other three exchanged glances. "Fine, I'll do it," Jinja said in an exasperated manner. "I'm gonna kill you if we lose, though."

* * *

><p>They both stepped onto one of the platforms. With an exchanged glance, they spun out their Monsunos. Their opponents did likewise—as for their Monsunos, one looked like a lizard crossed with a bat, and the other was a turtle with a heavily-spiked shell.<p>

"Power Bash!" Jinja told her Monsuno. Charger snorted and charged at the spiky turtle. Before it could make contact, however…the moose-armadillo was abruptly electrocuted—by the ground?

Chase realized—the arena was rigged. He quickly whispered said fact to Jinja, who first looked shocked, and then angry. If there was one thing she didn't have any tolerance for _at all_, it was if someone was cheating.

"Lock, watch your step!" Chase warned. The polar-bear Monsuno growled, and blocked an attack from the lizardbat before slugging it in the face.

The spiked turtle began racing toward Lock at a surprising speed—and Chase noticed that the tile beneath Lock began glowing. "Lock, back up!" he said automatically. His Monsuno did as such, and the maroon Monsuno ran right onto the tile, and was promptly electrocuted. Lock proceeded to blast it in the face with a beam of energy, which sent it straight back to its core.

Jinja stiffened when she saw the tile under Charger light up. Then an idea struck her—she'd do what Chase had, and use the traps to her advantage. "Charger, flip that thing!" she shouted. Her Monsuno proceeded to dash forward, scooped up the batlizard in his antlers, and flung it over his head. It landed right on the tile, shocking it back into its core.

Mr. Black looked dumbstruck.

The two teens gave a high-five and called their Monsunos back, while the others cheered—not just Bren and Dax, either; apparently the crowd had enjoyed the color difference with the Monsunos.

"A deal's a deal," Chase said. "So where's Torrigan?"

What the man said in reply was the opposite of reassuring: "Change of plans, punk." Mr. Black took out a red core, as did two guards that came up.

"Y-You tricked us!" Jinja shouted, looking none-too-happy.

"What of it?" To the guards, he said, "Righty, Lefty, crush 'em."

Chase glared, also glancing over at the glass case. _We need to get those. _Jinja obviously thought the same thing.

So without warning, they both dashed—right as Dax and Bren played distraction by spinning out their Monsunos. Chase lifted the glass casing up, and Jinja pocketed the two vials.

They were all quick to vacate the premises.

* * *

><p>Eventually they came out at a subway station, pausing to catch their breaths. Of course, things just had to get worse: "Nice try." Mr. Black and those two guards were waiting for them.<p>

"Oh great," Dax muttered-Chase, meanwhile, thought of something, and took one of the green vials. _He said that this stuff has something to do with Monsunos. Maybe if I put this into an empty core…_ He asked Bren for one of said objects. He looked mystified, but did as such anyways.

Chase looked at the core, and slipped the vial into it. The green substance abruptly turned bright-blue, while the core turned dark-blue, the grips being turquoise. Upon seeing that, Jinja grabbed an empty core from Bren's bag (AKA the one he found in the lab), ignoring his yelped protest, and did the same—her new core was sky-blue with dark-blue grips. "Launch!" they both exclaimed, Dax following with Airswitch. Their three opponents did the same.

The six cores collided in a flash of blue and red. Chase's Monsuno looked like a cross between a cat and a jackal, while Jinja's was a frilled-lizard, through and through. The latter barely leaped out of the way of Mr. Black's Monsuno's attack, which was acid.

The name of his new Monsuno came to Chase immediately. "Nitestone, Firespear Barrage!" The cat-jackal leaped into the air, and shot an orb of blue fire-like energy at each of the red Monsunos.

"Snapclaw, dodge it!" one of Black's lackeys ordered. The insect Monsuno jumped back on the order.

"My turn!" the other guy said. His Monsuno, which looked like a crocodile—immediately _breathed fire _at Jinja's Monsuno.

She reacted quickly. "Whipper, Deflector Frill!" Like the name suggested, Whipper used its frill to send the attack back at their enemies.

Spikelash again tried its acid attack, this time at Airswitch, but the vulture-hawk merely put up a shield before opening fire.

The battle was actually causing the building to start to collapse, so they got out—right before the Monsunos broke through the bottom of the street. "Nitestone, look out for that thing's tail!" Chase warned, but too late—Spikelash smacked the panther-jackal across the face. Airswitch then attacked Spikelash mercilessly on Dax's order.

Meanwhile, Whipper this time dodged the crocodile-like Monsuno's magma-breath, although it partially melted one abandoned building's support beams. What killed it was a missed acid-attack from Spikelash hitting the support beams, melting them through.

And as karma had it, the building fell on the three red Monsunos, squashing them flat. They immediately went back to their cores.

"H-How can this be?!" Mr. Black exclaimed, turning to follow the other two, who were high-tailing it out of there.

"Nitestone, get 'im!" Chase ordered, and Nitestone pounced, keeping the man pinned under a paw.

"Call 'im off! Call 'im off!" Black pleaded, looking desperate.

"Not until you tell us where Torrigan's at," Dax growled.

"Ah, I don't know nothin', kid!"

"Nitestone?" Chase started. The Monsuno pressed its paw down slightly.

"No wait! He said somethin' about going out to the Lowlands for somethin'!" Black stammered quickly.

Chase then heard a weird, high-pitched sound…as well as an angry, _familiar_ voice. "Shut up! Shut up now you fool!" It was…Grandma Future?

_No way…_ With a sinking feeling, Chase took the "lucky stone" from his pocket. The sound was coming from it as well. Without a word, Chase dropped it down a storm drain, and called Nitestone back. Black scrambled up and ran away, screaming _"Heeeeelllp!"_

"Um, Chase?" Bren started. "We better get out of here!" There were sirens in the distance.

"Yeah, we need to scram!" Dax agreed. Whipper seemed to understand, and allowed them to climb on. Once Airswitch was in its core, they made themselves scarce.

* * *

><p>"The Lowlands—that's a desert region off to the west," Jinja reported. They were sheltering in an abandoned warehouse, safely outside of Axistown. She paused, biting her lip. "We'll have to pass through Mandala, though."<p>

"So what? It's just some mountains," Dax said.

"Um, the area near here is where some of the highest mountains are. And the trains won't run through those tracks because of all the melting snow. There's a lot of avalanches in that area."

"But it's the middle of May!" Bren exclaimed. "How can there be snow?"

"It's higher up, so it's colder," the girl explained. "The snow takes longer to melt."

"So…we'll be walking," Dax summed up.

"We'll just have to deal with it," Chase said, and looked through a hole in the roof—it was a new-moon night, so only the stars could be seen…although they were considerably dulled by Axistown's lights. "If Torrigan's there, we're going there."


	8. Chapter 5

It was a bright morning. Three people were literally climbing up the side of a building's wall—while another jumped up.

"She crazy!" one of the ones climbing—a thickset man with dark-brown hair wearing a red headband—said.

Another brown-haired man wearing a black hoodie said, "_She's_ crazy? Don't forget, _we're_ the ones following her!"

The last one, a blond man wearing a green jacket, simply hung onto a rope tied to the first one for dear life.

The one who had jumped up—the only girl—gave a high-pitched laugh as the other three finally made it up. "Hurry little ones," she said. "You're missing the view from the top of the world."

"Climb more better twig-boy," the first man said. "I ain't no elevator."

The blond picked himself up right as his cellphone rang. "Mistress? Our elusive patron is calling," he said, throwing the phone to the only girl.

She answered. "Hello Medea," the voice on the other end said. "A little old lady in Axistown recently had a run-in with four new players on the scene. Four very…_important_ ones."

The lady frowned a bit at the image that came up on the phone. "Oh, they seem harmless. They're just children."

The man on the other end laughed. "Four mice for your claws, my dear. They're all of great interest to me, on many levels. Use your DarkSpin crew to find them, take them alive, and put them in cryofreeze…then, bring them _and_ their cores to me."

"Your dime, my pleasure," Medea replied.

* * *

><p>The terrain certainly had become more rugged over the last few days. It was also getting chillier, prompting Bren and Jinja to get a coat—he got a bright-green one, while she got a silver one. Chase and Dax already had their own. They were camped in a currently-vacant building which seemed to be some sort of vacation home—likely for winter, when there was snow for skiing on. Dax had no trouble with the lock.<p>

_"Science Entry 248-14, Doctor Jeredy Suno, protocol 5: Proper Spin Technique. The range of launch spins seem only limited to the technique of the controller. Like fingerprints, each launch spin technique will ultimately be different. Through research, I've perfected my own style."_ The hologram the Core-Tablet was showing demonstrated. _"It incorporates a number of elements that I believe necessary to create a solid technique."_

Chase took out a blank core, and did his best to copy what the hologram had done. It looked a little similar…but like the recording had said, it had its own differences. The core knocked an empty soda can over, right between Jinja and Dax. The core bounced off of the can, hit a table, and rebounded back to him. He caught it. "Practice makes perfect!" he stated.

"You know, I think I'm starting to figure this thing out," Bren said from where he was sitting on a couch. "It has an internet browser, and an e-mail system—" He was interrupted when the device made a beeping sound. "…I think we have a message." He tapped a button, and froze.

"Who's it from?" Jinja asked.

"Torrigan!"

"_What_?" They all crowded around to read it. "He's close to here!" Chase exclaimed, ecstatic. Torrigan had sent them coordinates, which were indeed close. "C'mon, let's get out there!"

"Hang on a minute," Bren said, looking suspicious. "How does Torrigan know we have this?" Chase's face fell upon the realization.

"Does it matter?!" Dax exclaimed. "He's close!"

"Not to mention," Bren went on, glaring a bit. "It's an hour away. It'll be black as coal out by then."

"Bren has a point," Jinja muttered. Dax didn't say anything.

* * *

><p>After a few hours, Dax opened one eye and surveyed the others. Bren was snoring, and neither Chase nor Jinja had complained for a while—they were all out of it.<p>

Quietly, he shuffled his jacket on, and made sure Airswitch's core was in his pocket. He knew he was doing the opposite of what the others were going to do, but what if Torrigan was gone by morning? They couldn't afford to miss him.

He picked up the map, glad that he had marked where the coordinates led to, and went out.

* * *

><p>Thankfully it wasn't <em>entirely <em>dark—the moon provided some light, as did the stars; the sky was clear. Eventually Dax found himself at a large, abandoned building at a roadside. A quick look at the map confirmed that this was it, so he went in.

"Torrigan, you here?" he called. He heard a shuffling sound, and saw a shadow move down a hall. Dax immediately went after it, and followed around the corner—only to have someone punch him in the face. He was out before he hit the ground.

* * *

><p>"Chase, Dax's gone!"<p>

"Huh?" The raven-haired teen sat up abruptly upon hearing Jinja, and he saw that Dax was indeed not there. Neither was the map.

"One guess on where he went," Jinja muttered. Chase resisted the urge to slam his face against a wall—Dax had done some stupid things, but this took the cake. (Although for some reason, he had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time he'd think that.) "We can't follow him, either," he said. "Not if he took the map with him."

"Guys?" they hard Bren say. "We, um…still have _a _map."

"Bren, what do you—?" Jinja cut herself off upon seeing the map on the Core-Tablet's screen.

* * *

><p>Dax woke up very suddenly. Where was he? Then he remembered: he had gone to find Torrigan, and someone had—<p>

A small laugh brought him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see a black-haired woman wearing a black outfit with a red trim. "On your feet, boy. You're to be tested in the only game worth playing. Life or death."

"Didn't you get my memo? I hate taking tests," Dax said, standing.

"Ooh, now aren't you a spirited little thing. That's a good virtue to have."

"Cut the babbling, lady, and tell me where Torrigan is."

The lady smiled a bit before tossing something to him—Airswitch's core. "_Torrigan _is here. You can see him; even take him with you…" She held up a red core, setting off a few alarms in his head. "If you can beat me, that is. I have been searching for someone worthy of my time—you see, it's all about dueling…to win the ultimate victory, or perish in glory. The duel is _everything!_"

Dax decided then and there that she was nuts. "I don't know about you, but Torrigan means a whole lot to me! Airswitch, launch!"

The crazy-lady followed up: "Poisonwing, launch!"

The cores collided in a flash of red and blue. Airswitch let out a battle cry, as did Poisonwing, which resembled a crimson cobra.

The two Monsunos warily circled each other, both looking for an opening to strike. Poisonwing lunched forward, and Airswitch leaped back before attempting to claw Poisonwing in the face—the red cobra got out of the way barely in time before striking Airswitch in the face with its tail.

"My darling, so perfect!" the crazy lady cooed. Most likely to her Monsuno.

Dax grit his teeth—this wasn't looking good. Airswitch was getting the krag beaten out of him. "Airswitch, Restraining Siege!" he ordered.

The hawk-vulture grabbed the cobra and slammed it into the support beams overhead. "Learning new tricks, are we?" Crazy-Lady asked rhetorically. "That's a good boy."

Poisonwing then showed why it was named as such—it had dragonfly wings.

* * *

><p>"The kid's worthless to us dead!" Telegonus exclaimed. "Arg, the cryofreezer—put 'im on ice! Now's our chance."<p>

"Don't need chance," Argius rumbled. "Got me."

* * *

><p>Luckily they had spoken loud enough for Dax to overhear. He didn't know what a "cryofreezer" was, but he didn't <em>want <em>to know either. Airswitch seemed to pick up on what he was thinking, and swooped toward the three onlookers, getting them to yelp and jump to the side. Dax promptly called his Monsuno back and raced down the nearest hallway.

The lady screamed in frustration. "After him!" she ordered.

* * *

><p>Dax couldn't help but give a short yell in surprise when someone grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into a room. "Surprise," the person said—it was Jinja.<p>

"I'm guessing you couldn't sleep," Bren said.

"Uh…yeah," Dax muttered, scratching the back of his head slightly. "Wanted to know if Torrigan really was here."

"Is he?" Chase asked.

"No idea."

A voice then called, "Come out, little boy…we haven't finished our battle yet."

"Who's she?" Jinja asked.

"Dunno," Dax replied. "She's got one of those red cores, though." He glanced out—they had gone. "I think I have an idea on where Torrigan is. We've gotta find him and get him out of here."

"Yeah, but…is it real?' Chase asked. Everyone looked at him.

"Excuse me?" Jinja repeated, looking disbelieving.

"I mean, we don't know if it's real or not. Besides—how would Torrigan know about the Core-Tablet anyways?"

"True," Bren muttered. "That still doesn't make any sense to me."

"Well, what if it _isn't _fake?" Dax countered.

After a few moments, Chase gave in. "Alright, you go look. But if you're not back in five minutes, we'll be coming as backup."

* * *

><p>The obvious place for Torrigan to be was at the back of the warehouse. Yet, no one was there. Or so he thought; he heard the crazy-lady speak up. "To use the missing guardian as bait…imagine that." She came out from a shadowed portion of the room.<p>

"Alright lady, you better tell me where Torrigan is right now, or else!" Dax warned.

"He was never here. The name _Torrigan _means nothing to me—I've never even heard the name before now. But…he was quite useful as a worm dangling from a hook." It really had been a trap. "You're all so naïve," she went on. "One little fake message, and you come like moths to a flame." The moment she finished speaking, Dax spun Airswitch out. She barely had time to retaliate with Poisonwing at all.

The cobra wrapped its tail around Airswitch's head and slammed it into the ground. After that it took flight, spitting a purple spike at the vulture hawk, who managed to get out of the way in time. "Fanged Attack!" its controller ordered. Poisonwing lunged—although its face slammed quite hard into a shield.

_"Never underestimate an opponent,"_ Belgaer always said. _Good thing I didn't daydream through all of those lessons,_ Dax thought.

"Something I forgot to tell you, boy," Poisonwing's controller said. "I don't like losing. So sometimes if the moment calls for it…I cheat!"

As if on cue, the three other guys all spun out a core as well.

The cores slammed into each other in a blinding flash of red light. Dax wasn't worried, however-it had been five minutes.

He smirked, saying, "Yeah? Well, I'm not alone either." No sooner did he finish his sentence did a portion of the wall get blown open, revealing Chase, Bren, Jinja, and their Monsunos.

"Backup has arrived!" Jinja announced.

"Lock, get 'em!" Chase shouted, his Monsuno growling.

"You heard the man Quickforce!" Bren exclaimed.

Needless to say, things got hectic _fast_! Quickforce were handling the three others inside the building, while Lock and Airswitch were against Poisonwing outside.

"Stasis Sting!" the black-haired woman ordered, and Poisonwing shot another purple spike—at Lock this time.

"Elemental Armor!" Chase said quickly, and just in time—the shield disintegrated the spike. He followed up with "Power Harness!"

"Arctic Aura!" Dax added.

It was overkill—Poisonwing didn't stand a chance. "What in the world?!" its controller exclaimed, looking honest-to-goodness shocked. "I…lost!" Soon after the other three of her team ran out, defeated. "Letting me down, boys!" their leader scolded.

"Sorry…Your Majesty," the blonde one panted.

"Suck-up," Dax whispered to Chase, who grinned.

"Those guys were total jokes," Jinja said as she and Bren ran over.

"Let's get out of here," Chase decided. "Lock, return!"

The others consented. But as they were about to get running, their defeated opponent spoke up. "Boys, wait." She threw some sort of device toward them. "Here little ones—for giggles. You've earned it."

That, unfortunately, wasn't the end of it. She then blew a kiss at them. All four teens gagged.

* * *

><p>"That was just—wrong," Dax said for the seventh time.<p>

"Definitely," Jinja agreed, Bren nodding.

"You know what—here B, you keep it." Chase gave Bren the device. "You're better with this stuff than we are."

The bespectacled stopped. "Sweetness on a stick!"

* * *

><p>Later, they stopped at a roadside. After a bit of research, they learned who those people were—DarkSpin, a group of mercenaries led by Medea. Question was…why would some high-end mercenaries be after them? And who would've hired them? All that ended in was the four of them getting headaches, so they decided on worrying about it later.<p>

"I've been doing a little tinkering on this thing," Bren said. "You won't believe what I found on it!"

"Try me," Dax said.

"Okay—just listen. And watch."

He tapped a key, and two videos came up holographically. Unsurprisingly, Jeredy Suno was in both of them. They'd been seeing a lot of him in these videos. _"Jon, I'm suggesting we shut this entire Monsuno operation down. It's far too dangerous!"_ Chase tilted his head slightly. _Jon…that's Blackbullet's controller—that blonde-haired guy._ Finally had a name for him.

_"How did Charlemagne find out about that? The experiment wasn't even half-finished—I hadn't filed my report! I don't think this line is secure anymore…meet me at the following coordinates…"_ The coordinates mentioned just so happened to be the ones in the fake message.

"Who's…?" Dax started, and then he shook his head. "I'm not even gonna try to pronounce that."

"Charlemagne," Chase said, sounding it out. "Something's telling me that whoever it is, he or she is really important."

* * *

><p><strong>Going to wait for another review before I update. Is there something about chapter 2 that you people don't like or something? Because it seems a lot of people are skipping it.<strong>


	9. Chapter 6

"Why did Torrigan have to come all the way out here?" Jinja complained.

"Are you really letting a little snow bother you Jin?" Chase asked. She glared at him.

"Yeah," Bren agreed. "It's just some snow." Moments later he was hit in the face by a snowball.

"How's that for you?" Dax said with a smirk—he had thrown it.

"So that's how you want to play, huh?" Chase asked, teal eyes glinting mischievously.

So commenced the Snowball War. Chase and Bren dove behind a large rock for cover, while Jinja and Dax utilized a small ditch.

Chase was sure that at least an hour had gone by the time they called it a draw due to everyone getting tired of throwing snowballs, judging by the position of the sun.

And it was a good thing they did stop then, as he heard a voice shout, "You kids stay right there!" Just their luck—some people from STORM.

"How the krag did they find us?" Dax exclaimed, taking out Airswitch's core.

"There must be a base around here or something," Jinja said, ready to spin out Charger.

"We'll worry about the how later," Chase said. "Fight first!"

* * *

><p>The battle was a stalemate. Lock, Quickforce, Whipper, and Airswitch against Crossbolt, Airchopper, Goldhorn, and Skysite.<p>

"This isn't going anywhere," Jinja said.

"Uh, actually, it is!" Bren exclaimed nervously. "Look!" There seemed to be a black...cloud...approaching them. Said cloud turned out to be a bunch of STORM vehicles of the flying variety.

Chase bit his lip. _They must've called for reinforcements when they realized who we were._ An idea struck him. "Dax, tell Airswitch to knock the top off that mountain!"

"On it—Airswitch, you heard him!"

"Lock, Jaw of Light!" Chase followed, pointing at a different mountain. The other two, catching on, also ordered their Monsunos to attack. The combined attacks proved to be too much for the two mountaintops, as they both shattered, sending two very large avalanches into the valley.

The four were quick to break into a run.

* * *

><p>"Where are they?" Trey demanded.<p>

"Ah, we're not sure," the Elite responded. "They retreated after destroying the mountaintops."

"Then find them! No one's getting in or out of these mountains until those kids are in custody!"

* * *

><p>"This is bad," Bren muttered, looking into a valley with binoculars. "Really, <em>really<em> bad. They've blocked off a whole section of mountains!"

True—there was indeed a quite-long blockade spanning multiple valleys.

"We'll just go around it, then," Chase said. "I mean, it can't go on forever, can it?"

"No," Jinja replied. "We'd still have to keep our heads down, though, otherwise they'd catch on."

"We might wanna get moving, then," Dax said.

* * *

><p>Later, they slowly inched along a small ledge. Bren froze when it crumbled a bit beneath him. "Do we have to go this way?" he asked. "Why can't we just use the Monsunos and fly over the blockade?"<p>

"They'd be on us in minutes," Jinja clarified. "Monsunos aren't exactly the hardest things to see, sky-colored or not."

* * *

><p>Then came the bridge. It was an old rope bridge, to be precise, and it honestly didn't look like the safest thing. "You're kidding, right?" Dax asked in a deadpan.<p>

Bren swallowed hard before saying, "This is the only route that goes this way."

"Like Bren said," Chase added, taking a step. The plank snapped off and fell into the river below. "Just…watch your step."

"Chase," Jinja started, "There's normal-crazy, then there's Dax-crazy, then you-crazy…and then there's where you are now! _Beyond_ crazy!"

Chase glanced back at them. "One rotten plank and you guys get all weak in the knees. Come on!"

"He's starting to scare me," Dax muttered.

It was as they were halfway across did they hear a voice shout, "Stop right there!"

They looked, and saw a small group of soldiers running toward them. Chase thought fast. "Guys, get over there!" There were no questions as his siblings pushed by him. The black-haired teen followed, and cut one of the ropes with the pocketknife.

All six of the soldiers skidded to a half halfway over the bridge. "You wouldn't," one of them said, paling a bit.

"Sorry," Chase said sincerely before cutting the rope. The six promptly took a dip.

"…at least no one else can follow us now," Bren said after a few moments.

* * *

><p>Nightfall was approaching fast, and the temperature was dropping. "Chase, we need to find somewhere to spend the night," Jinja said. "We'll freeze to death if we don't!"<p>

"No worries Princess," Dax called from where he was ahead. "There's a little cave here!"

He was correct. The four were quick to set up a small campfire in it by the entrance, clustering their sleeping-bags by it.

After a few minutes, Chase spoke up. "Guys? I'm starting to think that my idea of going around the blockade isn't the best way to go."

They stared at him—boy, they seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "What do you mean?" Bren asked.

"We can't risk Torrigan's trail going cold. And that's what'll happen if we go around the blockade. So, I think…maybe we should try going through it."

Bren squeaked and Dax facepalmed, while Jinja exclaimed, "There you go being crazy again! Chase, how do you expect us to get through there without being captured, or worse?"

"I think you're forgetting something, Jin." Chase held up Lock's core. "We got these guys, remember?"

* * *

><p>Charlemagne knew a strategical flaw when she saw one—and Trey's was so painfully obvious it wasn't even funny.<p>

"Do you want me to go out there?" The person standing by the door asked.

"Vhat do you think, Commander Sayre?" she replied.

The man saluted before going off. There was a reason why Rogirek was officially second-in-command: he always got things done right.

* * *

><p>"Every unit is on the field, sir!" a soldier reported. "No gaps or breaks present in the line!" No sooner was the sentence finished did an explosion shake the ground. Trey whirled around and ran towards the source—and was in for a surprise.<p>

The Monsuno that appeared so often in Jeredy Suno's files—the one that was called the lynchpin, had just literally punched through an H-Tram, while a birdlike one clawed another open.

He clenched his teeth. If these kids weren't going to come quietly, then so be it.

* * *

><p>Quickforce landed near the flames. "Working so far," Bren noted, as Chase and Dax called their Monsunos back. Then, "I take that back."<p>

Standing a few meters away was Trey, who did not look happy. "You punks aren't going anywhere!" he shouted, holding a core.

"Sorry, but it's sorta a requirement," Chase said, taking out Nitestone's core and leaping down along with Jinja, who had Whipper's core ready.

All three spun out their Monsunos—the cores collided in a bicolor flash of light. "Ballistic Repeater!" Trey ordered, and the beetle Monsuno immediately followed suit.

Jinja reacted quickly: "Deflector Frill!" the strike bounced back at Riccoshot, which dropped to the ground, paralyzed.

"Firespear Barrage!" Chase said. The attack hit head-on, and with a Sonic Blast from Whipper and a distanced Dispersion Blast from Quickforce, Riccoshot was done. Trey didn't look happy about that development at all.

Before anything could happen, an unfamiliar voice cut in: "Stand down, Cormier."

"Rogirek, what are you doing here?" Trey asked, looking more annoyed than anything.

"I'm here because the Commandant deemed your _strategy_ horribly flawed. Clearly, she was correct." Rogirek turned his attention to the teens. He had black hair and fierce dark-green eyes. "So you're the brats who've been causing all this trouble." He took a core out. "I'm afraid that this is the end of the line for you."

"If you're saying that now, you've got another thing coming!" Jinja retorted, Whipper snarling loudly for emphasis.

"Nitefang, launch!" Rogirek shouted, spinning his core out. It tapped against a rock, and there was a burst of yellow light. The Monsuno that appeared looked nasty in all capital letters—it heavily resembled a komodo dragon with armored plating. Long, sharp fangs poked out of its mouth as it growled at them. "Take care of them," its controller ordered.

Nitefang moved fast, despite its stocky build, shooting bolts of electricity at their Monsunos.

Nitestone leaped to the side, while Whipper tried deflecting it—which failed. The frilled-lizard was blasted back into its core.

"That thing is—it's…" Chase stammered.

"Strong," Jinja finished, her eyes wide. "This isn't good."

The raven-haired teen looked around. _We have to distract them so we can get out of here…_ His gaze fell on a snow-covered ledge far above. _Perfect!_

"What are you up to?" Rogirek growled.

"Nitestone, Firespear Barrage!" Chase ordered, pointing. The panther-jackal complied, blasting three orbs of plasmatic energy up towards the ledge. Rogirek figured it out a moment too late, as Chase called Nitestone back into its core.

The attack hit home in an explosion, demolishing the ledge entirely and sending about a ton of snow and rock barreling down towards them. Both teens quickly ran and clambered onto Quickforce, which took off fast.

Chase glanced back after the avalanche hit—Nitefang had been sent back into its core, while Rogirek was glaring death at them. By the look of it, no one down there was hurt, which was good.

"We'll have to look out for that guy," Dax said.

"Yeah," Bren agreed. "That Monsuno was crazy strong!"

Chase was quiet before turning his gaze to what was ahead. _Why do I feel like something's gonna happen soon? Something important…_

* * *

><p>Judging by the way Commander Sayre was snapping at everyone, he had lost. Trey had finished giving the report (nervously) of what went on to Charlemagne, who looked the opposite of amused.<p>

"Vell?" she asked, looking at Rogirek.

The man sighed before saying, "The brat did look remarkably like Suno...except he has teal eyes, not gray. And yes, he does have the lynchpin. The other brats have the other cores as well, along with two undocumented ones."

"That's trouble," Jon Ace muttered, looking thoughtful. "But it doesn't answer the question of how they got the cores…"

"Although the _unlikely_ answer is looking _likelier_ by the second," Rogirek said.

The room's fifth occupant decided that the only reason he and Glowblade lost was because they were against the lynchpin. It wouldn't end that way next time—Beyal would be sure of that.

* * *

><p><strong>Rogirek is an OC of mine that will play one very huge part later on...<strong>


	10. Chapter 7

**...really, I want to know this. Are you people just not interested in this fic? Because that's the impression I'm getting.**

* * *

><p>Three of them soon decided that they didn't like the Lowlands much. Mostly because it felt like it was 90 degrees even though it wasn't even officially summer yet.<p>

"Still don't know why you guys hate it," Dax muttered. "Doesn't bother me that much.

"Yeah, because you're weird like that," Bren said. Dax promptly punched his shoulder. "Ow!"

"Cut it out you guys," Chase said, not looking up from the map displayed on the Core-Tablet. "We're almost at Sanctuary City." He added a "finally" under his breath.

Currently they were on a crowded bus; they had gotten out of Mandala four days ago. All the passengers gave startled exclaims when the bus tipped to one side—they were on a narrow cliff-ledge road. "You know, I actually liked Mandala better," Jinja said.

Suddenly the driver screamed and hit the brakes hard. They were all lurched forward and tossed to the side as the bus skidded to a halt and spun a bit, leaving the bus hanging partially off of the ledge. Everyone else ran off of the bus, driver included, as the four teenagers picked themselves up.

Although some old guy came back onto the bus; upon closer inspection, Chase realized that this person hadn't even been on the bus in the first place. "Hello children," he greeted. "I have a message from you from my employer. He wishes to invite you to meet with him as his guest, Chase…" For a moment he looked as though he was about to add something, but stopped himself. "Ah yes…I should allow the good doctor to have the pleasure of speaking with you himself."

He held up a small device which flashed, and suddenly there was a hologram of a bald man wearing a black suit there. He bowed a bit before speaking.

_"Chase, I am pleased that you have finally come to the Lowlands. My name is Doctor Emmanuel Klipse. I was a…_colleague_ of Jeredy Suno."_

"And we care why?" Dax asked. "We've never met the guy."

Chase shushed him. "We're listening," he told Klipse.

_"As soon as STORM put their hands on my experiment, I decided to take my research elsewhere. I tried to convince my dear friend to come with me, but he refused. He thought he could do some good from the inside."_ Klipse clenched a fist. _"He was wrong."_

"Um, not that this isn't an interesting story or anything, but…why are you telling us this?" Bren asked nervously.

_"Forgive my manners. We have much to discuss. I would like you to join me…for some tea."_ Turning his attention to the creepy guy, he said, _"Hargrave, give them the invitation."_

"It would be my pleasure, Doctor Klipse," Hargrave replied. One of the metal "arms" on his backpack-thing handed Chase a red envelope of some sort. Chase promptly ripped it open and studied the black card inside, the others crowding around to look.

"What the krag is that long number?" Dax asked no one in particular.

_"Surely you understand my need for secrecy,"_ Klipse said. _"Decipher the code, and don't be late. I do not tolerate lateness,"_ he growled. And then the hologram vanished.

"Menacing with manners," Jinja noted.

"Yeah…quite the combination," Chase said.

Hargrave sniffed suddenly. "Ugh…I highly recommend you…_freshen_ _up_ before showing yourselves," he remarked. "Dress as casual, but not _this_ casual. Now, if you will excuse me…"

Before any of them could process it, one of the mech-arms he had flipped and cut a hole in the bus's roof, allowing him to get out through the top. As they ran out, they saw his mech-arms allowing him to maneuver up the cliff.

"Emmanuel Klipse and Hargrave…" Chase mused.

"Question is, can we trust 'em?" Dax asked.

"No idea."

"Look at the bright side!" Bren put in. "At least we get free tea out of the deal."

"Uh, Bren? I think you forgot that I _hate_ tea."

* * *

><p>They managed to get to Sanctuary City after an hour of walking. After a coughing fit caused by blowing dust, Chase gave a sarcastic comment of "Nice."<p>

"Ditto," Bren said. "Where can I find me a shower?"

"What he said," Jinja agreed, for once, looking wistful. "We're all starting to stink."

"Have fun with that," Dax said. "Whoever named this dump _Sanctuary City_ obviously didn't know what either of those words meant."

* * *

><p>They did manage to find a small hotel, and the clerk let them use one of the showers.<p>

"I was thinking," Bren started after they were all finished. "If Klipse worked with Doctor Suno, then maybe there's something on him in the Core-Tablet?" He took said device out. "Let me see…yeah, right here!"

A recording started. _"Doctor Klipse's research into genetic sequencing for Monsuno DNA has been invaluable. His knowledge is impressive…as it always has been. But he is as ambitious as he is intelligent—a fact I have always been aware of for a long time. And experience has taught me to be wary of ambitious men…"_ The recording cut off in static.

"What the—?" Bren tapped on it a few times. "We need to get this thing fixed."

"At least we know _something_ about the guy," Jinja said.

"Yeah…and it sounds like those two knew each other from before all this," Chase added.

Dax's attention was elsewhere. "Hey, could we get some food? I'm starved!"

"Sure…if we can find a—oh!" He ran for a small restaurant, the others right behind him…only to quickly discover a crucial problem: they were out of money.

"Great," Jinja muttered.

"Don't worry," an unfamiliar voice said. She source was a young woman with long brown hair tied up with a white ribbon, and blue eyes. She was wearing a lavender shirt and a dark-blue shirt. She also wore sandals. "I'll buy one for each of you."

"Uh, thanks!" Chase said, glad they'd finally met someone who was nice.

"Who are you?" Jinja asked.

The person facepalmed. "There I go again…I'm Lilac—Lilac Marvell. I don't live around here, but I've been travelling a lot. What about you guys?"

"We're looking for someone," Chase explained. "A few someones, actually."

"Really? Why?"

"Well, the people who took care of us just vanished without warning," Dax said, rolling his eyes. "Why do you think?"

"Point taken."

* * *

><p>They set out a while later, toward where the coordinates <em>hopefully<em> dictated. "So…here?" Jinja asked.

"Should be," Bren responded. "It's either here at precisely 3:27 PM…or three-thousand miles south of here at 4:15 in the morning."

"Well, it doesn't look like there's anything—" Chase cut himself off, as they abruptly found themselves falling. _An elevator?_ All four were baffled.

When the elevator stopped, they were greeted by Hargrave. "3:27 precisely," he said. "Dr. Klipse will be pleased."

They were led to another elevator-type thing, this one going horizontally instead of vertically. "What is this place? Bren asked, sounding impressed.

"This is one of our Eklipse mining facilities," Hargrave explained, "For retrieving Monsuno essence from deep underground."

Jinja turned her head. "You're mining Monsuno essence?"

"Yes…the Lowlands, Alto Desert, and Lycian Province are particularly rich in it. Dr. Klipse believes that they may have been primary meteor-impact zones."

All four teens jumped a bit when they reached a door that opened automatically, but they regained composure fairly quickly.

"One invite, successfully decoded," Dax said proudly.

As if he hadn't spoken, Klipse merely said, "Care for some tea?"

"We didn't come here to socialize," Chase deadpanned. "Actually, I don't think you even told us exactly why you wanted to see us."

"I wanted to know if you could assist me in finding Jeredy Suno," Klipse said smoothly. "My work with Monsuno genetics has reached a critical stage. I would like to consult with him on a few things." He opened a case that was on a table…revealing six red cores.

"These are yours?" Jinja asked, looking shocked.

"Y-You're the one who's behind the Underground!" Chase accused. "DarkSpin too!"

Klipse had an explanation. "I sell my Eklipse cores to—well, whoever will pay. What they do with their Monsunos has nothing to do with me. Monsuno research is costly…I don't have government funding unlike STORM, and Jeredy got his funding from them." Chase could detect bitterness in his voice…at something. "I have to get my funding from…_other_ sources.

"The only thing that truly matters is our work with Monsunos." He stood and started toward a computer of some kind. "That's why I need to find Jeredy. I've narrowed my search, yet I've still been unable to locate him." There was a pause. "But I've recently found someone who can find him." A picture appeared on the screen—of someone they knew. "Her name is Lilac Marvell. Find her…we find Jeredy."

The four teens exchanged uncertain glances. "We know where she is…" Chase said slowly.

"Do we have an _understanding_, then?"

* * *

><p>"Hey Lilac?" Chase started, going into the restaurant.<p>

"Yeah?" she asked, looking up.

"You wouldn't happen to know anyone named Jeredy, would you?" Jinja asked.

Before Lilac could respond, a voice behind them said, "Yes…do tell us."

Lilac immediately looked a mixture of angry and terrified. "Klipse!" she exclaimed shrilly, quickly taking out—a dark-blue core with purple grips and pale-blue accents. In response, Klipse took out a red core.

"_Wait a minute_!" Chase shouted.

"Featherfang, launch!" Lilac shrieked.

"Backslash, launch!" Klipse shouted.

The cores collided inside of the building. It suddenly became very crowded inside of the restaurant as a Monsuno resembling a wolf materialized. It had three plumes on its head, and a peacock's tail.

Meanwhile, a red cloud of essence shot outside. The ground outside was actually torn up a little by the burst of energy. And standing where it materialized was a Monsuno that was covered in dark purplish-black fur, with a stone ridge over where its spine was and spikes on its shoulders. Its red eyes gleamed maliciously, and it roared loudly, shattering windows.

"What is that thing?!" Dax exclaimed.

"Fire and brimstone, with claws!" Jinja replied.

Featherfang burst outside, and Backslash moved in a blur, trying to claw it. The wolf-peacock barely managed to get out of the way.

Then Backslash was suddenly behind Featherfang and knocked the wolf-peacock into a building. Klipse chuckled. "Perfect. Backslash, Shock Shriek!"

Crimson energy collected in the wolfbear's mouth, and fired it at Featherfang—direct hit. The blue Monsuno returned to its core immediately.

_Something's wrong with this, _Chase thought as Klipse called his Monsuno back.

"It's time you tell us what you know," the scientist growled to Lilac. "Where is Jeredy Suno?"

"Like I'd tell you anything!" she spat.

"Fortunately…there are other ways to get you to speak," Klipse said. "Hargrave?"

Chase didn't know when the old guy was suddenly behind Lilac. "Now, now…tell Doctor Klipse what you know," he said.

"Are you crazy?" Chase exclaimed. "This is—wrong!"

"Didn't I tell you? I don't believe in right or wrong…I only believe in Monsunos," Klipse said without looking.

"Good—then believe in this one!" Chase shouted, taking out Lock's core. After running a safe distance away, he whirled and pitched the core like a baseball, saying, "Lock, launch!"

Klipse smirked before spinning out Backslash.

When the two cores collided, however, Lock's was actually sent flying, causing him to materialize upside-down on top of a building, which gave out.

"We have to get in there!" Bren exclaimed. In response, the other three all spun their cores out. Airswitch immediately clawed Backslash on the head in order to stop it from doing the same to Lock's face.

"Quickforce, Dispersion Blast!" Bren commanded.

The antelope-raven shot multiple small orbs of blue energy at Backslash—direct hit…or so it seemed, as suddenly Backslash was behind Airswitch, grabbed him by two of his wings, and threw him into a building, dealing considerable damage.

"That thing's strong," Dax muttered, eyes wide.

"Four-on-one and we're _still_ losing?!" Bren exclaimed.

"We have to do something fast!" Jinja said. To Charger, she said, "Power Bash!" Backslash jumped over it, however.

"Lock, get out of there!" Chase said. "Head for that clearing!"

The Monsuno did as such, as did the other three. But as they were running/flying, Backslash suddenly appeared in front of them, attacking viciously.

"Of course," Hargrave said. "Backslash is invincible." However the distraction proved painful, as Lilac took advantage and elbowed the old guy right in the face.

"Do you all really think that Jeredy's unrefined Monsunos can hold a candle to my genetically-superior warrior?" Klipse sneered.

Chase glared at him. "I had a feeling something was weird with you," he growled

"Perceptive of you," Klipse said sarcastically. "But having you all as prisoners will suit me just fine as of now…Backslash! Finish it!"

Backslash's spikes began glowing with red energy. All of a sudden, there was Airswitch, latched onto Backslash using Restraining Siege. "What?!" Klipse exclaimed, shocked.

"Hey Princess!" Dax said. "Have your Monsuno ram into him!"

"How's that supposed to help?!" Jinja shouted at him.

"We can knock 'im off that ledge!" He pointed, showing that Airswitch was trying to drag Backslash over to a cliff.

"Dax, you're a genius!" Bren exclaimed. The dark-skinned teen grinned in response.

"You heard him Charger!" Jinja said to her Monsuno. The moose-armadillo regarded her before running up and smashing into Backslash. To the others, his controller said, "I need some help here!"

In response the other two Monsunos were sent in and slammed into Backslash, providing the final, literal shove needed. As they were falling, Airswitch let go and allowed Backslash to fall all the way to the bottom. Incredibly, the impact was just enough to send it back to its core.

Looking murderous, Klipse turned to look at them. "You've all chosen a side in this war now," he snarled. "Unfortunately for you, it is the losing side."

"As long as it's not the same side as yours, we'll take it," Chase said.

"Until we meet again…"

Once they had vanished from sight, Bren said, "We just keep making more people hate us."

"Looks that way," Jinja said. "And—where'd Lilac go?"

"Speaking of _going_," Dax spoke up, sounding a bit nervous. "That's what we better do…"

"Why?" Chase asked—and then he saw the answer. They'd destroyed quite a few buildings, and the townspeople looked quite angry. "Yeah—_run for it_!"

* * *

><p>They ducked into a small cave. "I think we lost 'em," Dax said, panting.<p>

"You know, I was thinking," Bren started. "How'd Lilac get that Monsuno?"

"That's what I was wondering too," Chase replied. "And I think I saw her running out this way, so…who's up for finding her to ask?"


	11. Chapter 8

The sun was beating down ruthlessly. Even more so than what was normal for the Lowlands, since they were right on the border of the Alto Province—easily the most dangerous region in Avalar, as so many people died from heatstroke there it was ridiculous. They'd all gotten sunhats, and Bren had even rented a pony for their things.

They'd managed to find Lilac fairly quickly, and were following from a safe distance, since they didn't want her knowing they were there—she was going up a hill now. After pausing there for a minute, they followed. Although an issue came when the pony didn't want to go up the hill.

"C'mon guys, we can't risk losing her!" Chase said.

Dax grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him. "Hold on, she's doing something." He pointed—the brown-haired woman was crouched under a rock overhang, and seemed to be burying something…

"What the krag is that?!" Bren exclaimed, jolting Chase from his thoughts. Something was coming towards them. Something that looked…missile-ish.

"Run!" Chase shouted, and they did—but the blast from _whatever_ that had been still knocked them all forwards.

"Everyone okay?" Dax asked.

The others answered affirmative—except for Jinja, who wasn't there. Chase quickly spun out Nitestone, and the panther-jackal led them to a nearby narrow canyon—where a few masked-and-cloaked people were waiting. "And the hits keep on coming," Bren muttered.

"Nitestone, Firespear Barrage!" Chase ordered. His Monsuno did as such—but the people were unharmed…? It occurred to him that they were illusions a few moments later.

Dax stiffened and whirled around, and the raven-haired teen then saw the actual mystery guy behind them. He shoved Jinja forward, and said, "Don't move."

If there was one thing about Chase that everyone knew, it was that he was both stubborn and impulsive. And impulse told him to run, so he did, ordering the others to do so—and it was a good thing they listened, as there was a sudden explosion from where they had been standing moments before. They ducked behind a rock face just in time.

"You okay sis?" Bren asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," Jinja replied. "What do you think that freako wants with Lilac, though?"

"No idea," Dax replied, shrugging. "Speaking of Lilac, we better get a move on before we lose her."

* * *

><p>The temperature had dropped quickly when the sun set, so they had their coats and whatnot on now. Bren could tell without even hearing anything that Chase was getting a bit impatient. They were all caught between following Lilac and continuing to follow Torrigan's trail.<p>

They'd followed Lilac to a huge mountain, and she had glanced around before vanishing into a small tunnel. "In there," Chase said. "C'mon."

It was narrow as well, so they had to go single-file. When they reached the end, they all stopped. "Whoa!" Chase exclaimed.

"What he said," Bren agreed, eyes widening.

The whole inside of the mountain was hollowed out, and there was a gaping hole in the top for light to come in. Not to mention the ruin city.

* * *

><p>Despite being obviously ancient, the buildings were in good condition. Water-filled canals spanned the area as well, and were clean as a whistle, so they took the opportunity to fill their water-bottles.<p>

"Who could've built this?" Jinja asked, looking around.

Chase didn't know for sure, but he had an idea, based on the structures and markings on the buildings. When they had become old enough to comprehend the countless legends that Sabriel, Torrigan, and Belgaer knew of, they'd been told that each of them could trace their families to one of five ancient tribes.

"Uh, Chase?" Bren started. "We haven't seen Lilac at all…do you think she left?"

"I hope not," Chase replied, scanning the area—and he saw something move.

"And I do believe that was her," Dax said, having seen it as well.

So they followed the person through the ruin city. They rounded a corner and headed down a stairway, and had to skid to a halt, as the person had stopped.

Then he—as they now saw that this was a guy—turned his head slightly to the side. It was someone they recognized.

"Isn't that…Dr. Suno?" Bren asked.

He looked different from the holographic images they'd seen of him—his black hair was a scruffy mess, and he was wearing a blue shirt with a green vest over it, and worn-looking beige pants. Jeredy looked around a bit, not noticing them, and continued running.

"Come on," Chase said. "Maybe we can get some questions answered finally!"

They followed him through another tunnel that led to an open area had bridges spanning a canyon and a few waterfalls feeding into a river below. When they had caught up a little, Chase shouted, "Wait up!"

Surprisingly (or maybe not-so-surprisingly) Lilac was there, and both of them turned to look. "Wha'—what are you guys doing here?" Lilac asked, looking startled.

* * *

><p>Jeredy looked at her. "You know them?"<p>

"Yeah, sorta—they're the ones who saved me back in Sanctuary City form Klipse. Didn't I tell you?"

"No!"

"…oops."

The scientist sighed in exasperation. Lilac was such an airhead sometimes. The four teenagers remained quiet. One of the boys looked like he was from the area, with a darker skin tone than the others. He was wearing gray pants, a red shirt with a black jacket over it, and had a blue beanie hat.

The only girl in the group had light-auburn hair and blue eyes. She wore a white shirt, a light-gray coat, and black pants. There was also a bespectacled brown-haired boy that looked both nervous and like he had a lot of questions. He wore a green-hemmed black T-shirt and brown shorts.

Upon looking at the last one, it took every bit of willpower Jeredy had not to flinch. The final teen was wearing a black shirt with a blue-and-white zipper jacket over it, and had brown pants. He had black hair and teal eyes. Just like…

"Lilac, who are they?" Jeredy asked, with some difficulty, cutting that thought off before he dared finish it.

She looked like she was about to say something, but paused. "You know, I'm pretty sure I never asked 'em…but—_incoming_!"

* * *

><p>Chase looked up when he heard a high-pitched, familiar laugh, and he saw Medea and the other three of her group on a higher-up bridge. "Would you look at this," she said, half to herself. "Two for the price of one."<p>

"What do you want, Medea?" Chase growled.

"A simple rematch is all…"

"What—?" Jeredy started, only to stop when he saw the teen take out Nitestone's core.

"And so we begin again," Medea said. "_Launch_, my darling Poisonwing!"

Chase followed up. "Nitestone, launch!"

The two cores collided in a flare of red and blue. Nitestone roared a challenge to the insect amphiptere, Poisonwing returned the battle cry, and the two charged each other—Nitestone biting down on Poisonwing's hood, with the red Monsuno twisting around to bite back.

"Jeredy, we have to scram! Like, _now_!" Lilac said in an urgent tone.

"Not yet," he replied. "I need to see this."

An airborne attack from Poisonwing knocked Nitestone and then it shot a poison barb towards the others, as they were about to spin out—they scrambled out of the way just in time. Medea quickly relocated herself to another bridge—the one they were on was collapsing.

Chase, unfortunately, wasn't as lucky. He heard shrieks from both Bren and Jinja, and Nitestone leaped down from the ledge he had just climbed onto, managing to catch his controller.

The Monsuno crashed into the river below, and Chase found himself submerged, though he quickly swam to the surface. After gasping for breath when he surfaced, he exclaimed, "Nitestone!"

The panther-jackal regarded him before reverting into essence and returning to his core. _I…I lost…_

Above, he heard Medea sigh and say, "The sweet taste of victory. Let me savor this perfect moment." Chase glared ice-daggers at her before looking at the core solemnly.

"_Now_, Jer!" Lilac urged. "We gotta go!"

"Wait," he said. Then, raising his voice: "Catch!" Chase looked up just in time to catch a core—sky-blue with orange grips. "Its name is Evo!"

"Uh, thanks!" Chase said in reply. _Time for payback…! _"Hey Your Craziness!" Chase shouted up. "How about a rematch?"

"Another Monsuno…you are just full of _delicious _surprises!" was all Medea had to say.

"Evo, launch!" Chase spun the core hard.

The core skipped across the surface of the water, colliding with the cliff face. There was a whirlwind of blue light, and a Monsuno that resembled a four-winged hybrid of a swan and eagle appeared.

"Shock Wing!" the raven-haired teen ordered, and Evo complied, sending energy rays onto Poisonwing. And Chase didn't let up. "Lightning Bash!"

Now Evo glew brightly-blue, and charged at Poisonwing…shooting right through it, a bright spurt of crimson-tinted green stuff that was probably some sort of blood for Monsunos.

"How come he gets three?" Bren "Victory _and _defeat!" Medea exclaimed. "It's _beyond _perfect! It's…_sublime._"

"It's something," Chase said. "Hate to party and run, but we've gotta fly!" In response Evo swooped by and picked the foursome up, speeding away.

"Until next time…my favorite little enemies…"

* * *

><p>As they were flying away from the ancient city, Jinja muttered, "Too bad we couldn't ask Dr. Suno any questions."<p>

"Yeah…guess we'll have to hope we run into the guy again," Dax said.

"Let's hope so," Chase agreed. "C'mon, we better get back on Torrigan's trail." He glanced at the map. "We better try Hargeon City next."

"Isn't that by the ocean?" Bren asked, looking at the Core-Tablet.

"Yeah, it is!" Jinja affirmed, grinning—they'd never seen the ocean before, only in pictures. Whatever the case was, all four were looking forward to it.


	12. Chapter 9

Hargeon was a fair-sized port town located on the coastline of the Alto Desert—also called Alto's Oasis. The buildings were constructed out of sandstone, and the vegetation within the city was well-irrigated. Despite the olden sense, it was a modern area.

The group of four was in for a bit surprise when they got there, however—there was a huge storm going on. The sky was an aggressively-dark gray, and the wind was making wet sand fly everywhere.

Jinja spat some out, and covered her mouth before saying, "Nice weather," sarcastically.

"Whole places looks deserted," Dax noted.

Bren spoke up as well. "Something just isn't making sense about this storm! It isn't moving or weakening at all!"

"We'll find some shelter in the city, I know it," Chase encouraged. When they reached an intersection, however, a vehicle halted in front of them—a STORM H-Tram, of all things.

Two soldiers came out. "You, stop right there!" the first one said. They didn't make a move—maybe they didn't know who they were. It was a long shot, but…

"What are you kids doing here?" the second one asked. So they didn't recognize them. Pure luck right there.

"We're looking for our parents," Dax replied, lying.

"We can't find them anywhere."

"They're probably with the other townsfolk riding out the hurricane," the first soldier said. Raising his voice, he added, "C'mon, everyone inside! We'll get you to the underground shelter safe and sound."

"Sure, thanks." Of course he sealed their decision on his own then, so they went in.

* * *

><p>They reached the underground shelter in a few minutes. "Great going Dax," Bren muttered once they were inside. "Now we're stuck down here!"<p>

"What, you think we should've fought our way out in a hurricane?"

"Dax's right, Bren," Chase reasoned. "Someone would've gotten hurt in the end."

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go find a place to get cleaned up," Jinja grumbled, brushing some wet sand off as she went.

Chase glanced around. The people here all seemed frightened…. He was brought out of his thoughts by someone saying "I seen one of those before…" They turned to see an old guy staring at them, wide-eyed. The man pointed at Chase's cores. "I hoped I'd never see one again."

"What do you mean, you've seen one?" Bren asked.

"Old man, what are you babbling about?" Dax followed.

The man explained. "It didn't look exactly the same…it was bigger, rockier. I was fishing when I brought the thing up in my nets. It fell onto me deck, and starting spinning—that storm out there started up immediately, and I'll be damned if it isn't the reason why!

"My boat capsized, and as I was swimming to shore, I saw one of those STORM airships, right in the eye of the hurricane. Their current leader isn't nearly as bad as the _last_ one, but I still don't trust her intentions one bit.

"By the time I got to shore, I was rounded up and put down here along with everyone else. I tried to tell everyone about it…but they don't believe me." He looked at them. "You believe me, don't you?"

"Yeah, we believe you," Chase said. _So this hurricane's being caused by some sort of core… _"We know more about this than you think."

As they were going to find a secluded spot to go over a plan, Jinja came back. "What'd I miss?" she asked. Dax explained, and she stared at Chase. "You're insane," she stated.

Chase grinned. "Well-aware of that, sis."

* * *

><p>The wind was fierce, but they managed to keep flying straight on Evo and Quickforce. There was indeed an "airship" up ahead. Chase was wondering how in the world something that big made of metal stayed in the air.<p>

The Monsunos halted in front of a large circular vent, allowing them all to get in through. Once they were safely in, they called the Monsunos back. Then they started deeper in.

"We have to be quiet," Jinja reminded. "Can't let anyone know we're here."

"That's sorta obvious Princess," Dax retorted. Chase suddenly paused, looking through a vent duct. There were quite a few people in the room they were passing by—including Trey, Rogirek and Jon. Not to mention that white-haired teenager from the night they saved Quickforce, who looked incredibly bored.

There was also an unfamiliar blond-haired woman that looked important. "How long should it take?" Trey asked.

"Three hours or so," Rogirek replied.

"And we'll be doing _what_ with the energy?" Jon asked.

"Later," the blond woman said vaguely—she spoke with some sort of accent. Then she changed the subject. "Vill zhe energy be absorbed before zhe city is destroyed?"

"Unlikely," Rogirek said nonchalantly. "Maybe not if we pick up the pace."

"That wouldn't be a good idea," Jon warned. "The scientists recommend absorbing it at a slow rate, so we don't shatter it in the process…or worse—make it explode."

All four of them visibly shuddered, and the teenager went very pale. "_Please_ don't remind me of that," Trey said quickly.

Chase exchanged a look with the others. What could have possibly happened? Whatever it was…

"We have to wreck that Wild-Core," he said.

"Wild-core?" Bren echoed.

"Well, it looks like a core, so—" He cut himself off when he saw the blond-haired woman go stiff, and the teen did as well.

She looked up—and no one was there. Or…was there?

* * *

><p>"Alright," Chase started when they got out onto the deck. "Dax, you come with me to wreck the thing, 'kay?"<p>

"Right," the dark-skinned teen said with a nod.

"Bren, you and Jinja make some noise."

"On it!" the geek affirmed.

Chase grinned. "Alright, so let's—"

"What are you brats doing here?" a familiar voice demanded. Upon turning, they saw that it was Rogirek, accompanied by Trey, the blond lady, and the white-haired teen.

"Uh, change of plans," Chase muttered, taking out Nitestone's core. "You punks better give up now," Trey warned.

"Not in a million years!" Dax shot back. He started it: "Airswitch, launch!"

Chase followed with Nitestone—Bren and Quickforce— and Jinja with Whipper. In response their opponents sent out Riccoshot, Glowblade, and two new ones—Shadebolt and Driftblade.

Shadebolt looked like a hyena mixed with an owl, while Driftblade was a bladed lion.

"Nitestone, Firespear Barrage!" Chase commanded. Nitestone complied—but Driftblade blocked it with no effort at all.

"Riccoshot, Ballistic Repeater—wipe them out!" Trey shouted. The beetle Monsuno charged up energy and sent it as a wave—but Whipper deflected it.

"Shadebolt, Thunder Charge!" Rogirek ordered. The Monsuno spread wings from its back, and leaped towards Airswitch, crackling with electricity—direct hit.

"Glowblade, Electric Barrage!" the white-haired boy said. Quickforce evaded two of them, but the third one hit.

"Taser Blades!" Driftblade's controller ordered—the lion Monsuno shot electricity at Nitestone, who managed to dodge by jumping straight up. He then shot an orb of plasmatic energy at Driftblade—but the lion Monsuno put up a shield immediately.

Before anything else could happen, however, a sudden explosion made all of them jump, and they saw beams of emerald-colored energy spike into the air, one clipping the airship, before dissipating completely, along with the hurricane.

Rogirek seemed to listen to something, and then he shouted, "_Destroyed_? What do you mean, the thing was destroyed?!"

Then there were three synchronized explosions from the damaged side of the airship—clearly, the energy had hit something important. The airship tilted to one side, causing the smaller aircraft on the ship to slide off the edge—and for everyone on the deck to start slipping as well. _What the krag just happened?!_ Chase thought as he called Nitestone back into its core.

Everyone else followed suit, and there was another explosion—and the airship started losing altitude, _fast_.


	13. Chapter 10

**Three in one night to be nice. Filler chapter, FYI...since "Deceit" won't really work out in this case.**

* * *

><p>Chase quickly swam upwards as soon as he regained his senses after hitting the water—although he had to dive again in order to avoid a falling piece of metal.<p>

Spitting out seawater when he got up again, he grabbed onto a floating piece of sheet metal. He wasn't the only one—also clinging to a fragment were the white-haired boy and the blond lady.

A few moments later, they heard someone speak: "Need a lift?" A boat had come up, and one of the sailors had spoken. One part of Chase, for some reason, noted that he had a chipped tooth. All three were up within a minute.

"That was some light show," another said.

"Y-Yeah," Chase agreed, wondering how the wild-core had been destroyed in the first place.

He glanced toward shore—it looked like the others had just gotten there…and then he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head.

He was unconscious in moments.

* * *

><p>When the raven-haired teen regained consciousness, he first noticed that the ceiling above him was stone, while the walls and floor were wood.<p>

Also just waking up were the other two. "Where are we?" the teen asked in a blurry mutter. "And—where's Glowblade?!" Chase checked his own belt-clip—all three of his Monsunos were gone. The blond apparently found that her Monsuno was missing as well.

Then they heard footsteps, and a familiar voice said, "Oh, look who woke up finally." It was the same guy they had seen on the boat. He was out in what seemed to be a hallway—and a barred door separated them.

"Who are you?" the blond-haired woman demanded, standing.

The guy chuckled a bit. "Who I am isn't important. All I'm here for is to inform you that from here on out, you three will be providing entertainment for us Skavengers."

The name had no meaning for Chase, but he didn't like the sound of it.

* * *

><p>Jinja looked around from their hiding place underneath one of Hargeon City's many boardwalks. Dax was out looking for food, "Where's Chase?" Bren asked for the fifth time.<p>

The blue-eyed girl sighed heavily. "I don't know," she finally said. The four teens were extremely close. Though they knew that they weren't related by blood, they always acted as though they were.

Having even one of them—or two, as it had been for years—missing made it feel like there was a gaping hole in their entire world.

Again her focus shifted to the white-haired teen. Who was he? And why the krag did he seem so…familiar?

* * *

><p>There was absolutely <em>nothing<em> to do. Chase walked back and forth. The only adult present had apparently dozed off, and it looked as though the other teen was about to as well.

But there was something Chase wanted to ask. He tapped the teen on the shoulder, and he looked up. "What?" he asked in a groggy/irritated tone. Chase wasn't discouraged in the least. He had to ask this.

"What's your name?"

Clearly that threw him off. "_What_?" Chase repeated himself, and the boy stared at him for a bit before saying, "Why should I tell you that?"

"Well, I never heard what your name was, so…" Chase smiled for two seconds before it faded.

The white-haired teen seemed to think it over for a bit, looking at Chase with narrow eyes. Then he sighed, and said, "My name's Beyal."

Chase's turn to be confused. "H-Huh?"

The gray-eyed controller looked a little miffed. "I told you, my name's Beyal."

"Have you ever been to Wyverley?" It slipped out before Chase could think.

"Um…yeah," Beyal replied, looking confused. "Why?"

_Because you're our long-lost sibling._ Chase barely bit it back. Instead, he said, "I'm pretty sure I saw you there once."

"Oh. Well, you look sort of familiar too." Beyal paused. "You know, you aren't nearly as bad as Rogirek says you are. Then again, Rogirek hates _everyone_."

"I figured." Chase smiled a bit. "You aren't too bad either." The white-haired teen smiled a bit as well. That Rogirek guy really reminded Chase of Belgaer, now that he thought about it.

After a few moments, Beyal asked, "What about the other three people with you?"

"Oh, them? Well, Bren's the one with glasses. He's sort of timid most of the time, but he has his moments. Jinja, she's…"

"The only girl?"

"Yeah. That's a way to put it." Chase laughed a bit before going on. "Dax—he can be reckless, but he always pulls through. Well, almost always. They're like my brothers and sister, even though none of us are related." He paused. "What about your parents? I mean, why do you live at a military base?"

Beyal was quite for a while before saying, "I never knew my real parents. I was found sleeping in a snowbank somewhere near Ambala, and they couldn't find anyone from my family anywhere." That was two points. Beyal paused before adding, "The Commandant's the closest thing to a family member that I can remember," while glancing at the room's third occupant.

_So…that's Charlemagne?_ Chase thought. He was a little surprised, but didn't show it.

"Oh. I never really knew my parents either…I—all three of us—we're orphans, actually."

"Ouch." Beyal winced a bit.

"Yeah. Ouch. We actually went out looking for the four people that took care of us. They just—disappeared. No note, no nothing."

"So, you had eight people…in one house."

Chase laughed nervously. "Would you believe me if I said that our _house_ was built into a cave somewhere near Wyverley?" Beyal stared at him in disbelief. "I'm serious!"

"Well…I guess I'll take your word for it…"

Now for the last thing. "To tell you the truth…there was actually one more of us. He disappeared while we were in Wyverley getting Bren's glasses, though. And—he had the same name as you."

Beyal looked at him in a weird manner. "Really?"

"Yeah. He had white hair, too."

Silence.

* * *

><p>It was the cell door opening and someone kicking him in the side <em>hard<em> that woke Beyal up. "Get up!" the man barked. "It's showtime."

The white-haired teen stood up, wincing from the lingering pain, and impulsively tried moving back when the man grabbed his shoulder; a second one did the same to Chase.

The Commandant lunged at one of them, but a third guy responded by hitting her in the side of the head. She stumbled back, but stayed conscious.

Beyal responded by kicking him in the knee, but that only got him a slap to the face, which stung horribly. The two teens were dragged down the hallway afterwards.

They were shoved into an open corridor, and to his confusion, the man gave both of them a card with four numbers on it before they both left, slamming the doors shut behind them. Beyal heard a lock click.

"What are we supposed to do with these?" Chase asked, looking his over a few times.

A keypad was bolted in the left side of the wall, and what looked like a pipe that ended right above a stand of some sort caught Beyal's eye. Maybe he was supposed to put the code on the card into the machine? And it would do something?

He did as such and pushed the _enter _key. A few moments later, something dropped out of the pipe and landed perfectly on the stand. Namely, Glowblade's core. _They're smarter than they let on,_ he thought. _This room is too small to spin out in._

After seeing what Beyal did, Chase copied. A blue core was soon in his hand—from what it looked like, Beyal figured it was the lynchpin. The door on the other side of the room opened, leading out to an open arena. The stands were halfway filled—people immediately started jeering at them the instant they came out, but they quieted down a bit when someone yelled at them to do so.

Lo and behold, it was the man with the chipped tooth. "As you all see, we have two new players here," he said. "One being from STORM."

More jeers. Beyal grit his teeth when he realized they were directed at him. Chase tapped his shoulder. "Don't let 'em get to you" he said.

The teen smiled a bit. "Right."

"As for their opponents," Chiptooth went on, "We have a very familiar pair." The door on the other end of the arena opened, and two people stepped out, both wearing what looked like armor of some sort. One had a white suit, and the other had a black one. Both wore masks that only revealed their eyes. Beyal recognized them—Kallik and Tonraq, the twin mercenaries from Orugaron that deserted the country's army. Chiptooth announced them as such.

"Orugaron?" Chase repeated cluelessly.

"It's an island that's sort of its own country," Beyal explained. "It hasn't rained there for almost a century now. I went there once—it was _horrible_." That was also where his sort-of-new-friend Simon was from—he remembered the redhead's response to seeing rain for the first time very clearly.

"Wow," the raven-haired teen exclaimed, eyes wide. "The people there must be tough."

Beyal simply nodded, readying Glowblade's core—he could see that the twins had cores. Eklipse cores, to be precise.

When they spun out, the two did the same. The cores collided in a tricolor flash of light—Glowblade and Lock on one side, and the mercenary twin's Monsunos on the other—Blazefang and Emberfang. They were completely identical—wolves with saber-teeth.

The white-armored one—the girl, Kallik—acted first. "Blazefang, Magma Bullets!" she shouted.

One of the saber-wolves opened its mouth, and spat a few crimson orbs of fiery plasma at Lock.

Chase reacted just in time: "Elemental Bunker!" the attack hit the shield, and the polar-bear took no damage whatsoever.

"Paralysis Fang!" Beyal said quickly. Glowblade lunged at Blazefang, sinking the fangs of his center head into the saber-wolf, which quickly found itself unable to move.

On Chase's order of "Shooting Battery!" Lock promptly slugged the paralyzed Monsuno in the face. He saw Kallik's eyes widen, while the crowd cheered loudly.

But why wasn't Tonraq helping his sister? Beyal looked at him, and noticed that he was subtly watching the stand where Chiptooth was. There was no barrier of any kind.

He caught on, and mentioned the idea to Chase. His teal eyes lit up. "Go for it!" he said.

Beyal nodded. "Streaking Blades!" he told his Monsuno. Glowblade, seeming to know what his controller was thinking (as always) directed the attack at the stand.

Chip-tooth ducked out of the way just in time—the stand was smashed, and Beyal saw a small explosion.

And the door son both sides of the arena opened immediately. Tonraq called his Monsuno back, and to Kallik, said, "Let's go!"

"Right!" she replied, calling Blazefang back as well.

Beyal and Chase did the same with their Monsunos, and ran through the corridor and into the hall. They were met by the brown-haired man from the boat. "You brats aren't going anywhere," he snarled in a threatening tone.

The gray-eyed controller responded as such—he kicked the guy in the shin as hard as he could. The man faltered, and Beyal hit him in the base of his neck just hard enough to knock him unconscious.

"Nice moves," Chase commented, eyes wide. Beyal gave a smug smirk in response, taking the man's keys and cards.

The Commandant looked slightly startled upon seeing them, but the shock vanished quickly. "I need my other two cores," Chase said. "We can use those card-things."

"We can't go through every single one!" Beyal exclaimed.

Chase first looked at him, then took a card and turned it over. On the back was something Beyal hadn't noticed—details on whatever Monsuno had that code. The particular one Chase was holding was actually Driftblade. Therefore, Charlemagne was quick to take it.

It wasn't long before Chase found the two he needed, either. The instant they turned back towards the corridor, they saw two guards racing toward them. "I'll take the one on the left," Beyal said. "And I got the right," Chase said. It took about seven seconds.

"_Now_ Belgaer's lessons are coming back," the raven-haired boy muttered.

Beyal recalled Belgaer as being the least favorite of the people who had raised Chase and the others, also their combat instructor.

The controller glanced at the commandant. She simply said, "Excellent work." He smiled a bit in response, although it faded a bit. He could easily tell that she was thinking about something—most people he could read like books just by looking at their eyes, including her…but for once, he couldn't really guess what she had in mind.

* * *

><p>It was after they got the other cores did they managed to find a way outside. It hadn't been only Driftblade, Nitestone, and Evo they had recovered, but three STORM cores as well—Airchopper, Bayonet, and Clipper.<p>

"Now what?" Beyal asked.

A voice cut in before Chase could say anything. "You'll come with us."

They turned to see Chiptooth and a dark-haired man wearing a black bandana over his left eye. It was the latter who had spoken.

"And why should we listen to you?" Chase asked flatly.

"Show some respect you little brat!" Chiptooth snapped. "This is the Skavenger Lord you're speaking to!"

"Now-now, Roger. The boy did not know," the so-called Skavenger Lord said calmly. "But thank you for the introduction."

_So that's the ringleader,_ Chase thought, taking out Evo's core.

The Skavenger Lord noticed. "You insist on fighting? Then so be it." He and Chip-tooth—Roger—both took out red cores, and spun them out. The other three responded as such.

After the flash of light faded, Chase looked over the two opponents. Roger's Monsuno looked like some freakish cross between an angler fish, a blowfish, and an armadillo. The Skavenger Lord's was clearly a panther-chameleon hybrid.

Chase started it: "Evo, Shock Wing!" The swan-eagle zeroed in on the fishdillo.

Beyal was quick to follow—"Deadly Deluge!" Both attacks hit on, and they saw Roger flinch at seeing how much damage his Monsuno had taken. The two exchanged a high-five.

"Driftblade, Plasma Barrage!" Charlemagne ordered. The bladed lion charged at the chameleon-panther hybrid.

"Illuclaw, Concealed Flame," the Skavenger Lord said calmly. Illuclaw abruptly vanished from view right before Driftblade could make contact. The STORM Monsuno looked around, puzzled—and then the chameleon-panther hit in from above, with a sharp jab from its tail, which was flaming, that connected with Driftblade's back—the Monsuno crumpled immediately. Chase saw Charlemagne go stiff.

"Spikecharge, Flash Barrage!" Roger yelled. The lantern on the fishdillo's head flashed blindingly, hence the name of the attack, and they all had to cover their eyes. When they could look again, all three of their Monsunos were down.

"You may as well just give up now," The Skavenger Lord said, a smug look on his face.

Before anyone could say anything, a barrage of blue plasmatic orbs rained down onto Illuclaw and Spikecharge. While the others all looked horribly confused, Chase merely grinned. He'd know Quickforce's Dispersion Blast anywhere. "Guys!" he shouted, looking up.

They were riding between Quickforce and Airswitch. When they got closer, Jinja spun out Whipper.

"Spiked Cannon!" Roger yelled. Spikecharge shot spears of energy at Whipper, who deflected them right back. Beyal finished it with an order of Electric Barrage.

Quickforce was raining down plasma orbs onto Illuclaw, keeping it in place. "Lightning Bash!" Chase said, and he heard Charlemagne give Driftblade an order to attack as well.

Both hit home at the same time, and in a flash of red, Illuclaw was sent hurtling back into its core.

"Chase, let's go!" Dax yelled. Jinja had called Whipper back already.

"Alright!"

He quickly glanced at the other two one last time before climbing onto Quickforce, calling Evo back.

As they veered away from the Skavenger base—which was a rocky island perhaps a mile off the coast—Chase saw a flash of yellow, and saw a bird-like STORM Monsuno flying away.

* * *

><p>"Ma'am, are you alright?" Trey asked as he ran outside.<p>

"Fine, Commander," Charlemagne replied after calling Airchopper back into its core. Beyal remained quiet. She glanced at him for a few moments.

Beyal seemed to be thinking about something. Normally she could tell in an instant what the basic idea of the thought was, but this time was different.

She shook her head slightly. No time to worry about that.

* * *

><p>Later, they stopped in a clearing. "Who were those losers, anyways?" Dax asked.<p>

"They called themselves the _Skavengers_, or whatever," Chase replied.

"They didn't seem too friendly," Bren noted.

"They weren't," Chase affirmed, semi-distracted.

Jinja noticed. "What's wrong?"

"…you know that guy with the white hair?"

"Yeah?" Dax pressed.

Chase looked at them solemnly, and said, "His name's Beyal."

* * *

><p>That night, Beyal just couldn't get himself to fall asleep. Eventually he gave in, standing up to look out the window, holding Glowblade's core. He could tell the serpent Monsuno was concerned about him—it was an odd ability he had, knowing what a Monsuno was generally thinking.<p>

The story Chase had told him kept coming up in his mind. His earliest memory did consist of a winter morning in the town of Wyverley: he had been chasing a black cat, it had scratched him, and then a woman he could barely remember had said she would help him…and then he just remembered waking up in that base.

He grit his teeth, pressing his forehead against the glass. All four of those others—including Bren, Jinja, and Dax—all were _so familiar_…he just couldn't really remember. Those four other people that had been mentioned sounded familiar too.

But what did it all mean?


	14. Chapter 11

"C'mon! Just keep running!" Chase urged as an explosion went off behind them. This one caused Bren to trip, however. Chase immediately ran back to help, and then they kept going.

The raven-haired teen abruptly went off to the right into a small alcove, the others diving in after him. The drones that had been pursuing them went right by them.

"Is one day off too much to ask for?" Chase muttered.

* * *

><p>"Ooh…the poor little boy wants a vacation," Medea noted. "Run as far as your little legs can carry you…but you can never hide…" She laughed to herself. "Not from me…"<p>

* * *

><p>"B, can you check the maps on the Core-Tablet?" Chase asked. "See if there's a place to hide out and crash? I'm <em>so <em>fried…"

"Well…there's some kind of campsite a few miles up."

"Guess we're going camping, then."

* * *

><p>"Oh, I do <em>so<em> love camping!" Medea exclaimed. "Do you think they'll make s'mores?"

"Mistress, why don't we just wipe them out?" Telegonus asked.

"Patience, my little wolf. You must learn to enjoy the hunt…savor the anticipation. Soon…very soon, we shall finish this hunt…DarkSpin style."

* * *

><p><em>"…see if there's a place to hide out and crash?"<em> the recording went. Then it turned to static.

"Get it back!" Charlemagne snapped. "Get zhat signal back soldier—that's an order!"

"I—I'm trying, ma'am!" he replied hastily. "There's a safety mechanism on the program—we're blocked out. I need some time to break it."

"One minute. You have _one_ minute."

"Only a matter of time," Rogirek was saying. "I knew one of them was going to go bad." The other two commanders glanced at him only briefly, and the commandant didn't take her eyes off the screen showing where the transmission was coming from.

Beyal watched quietly. Glowblade's core was in there, on the table. He really didn't like what he was about to do…but he didn't really have much of a choice here.

He had to go find Chase and the others. Beyal didn't quite understand why, but he felt as though he _had _to go with them.

Quietly, he went in and took the core, slipping back out before anyone could notice. It was a good thing that Chase and the others' location wasn't _too _far. _I'll go later tonight, when no one's awake._

* * *

><p>It was the sound of twigs snapping that woke Chase up. <em>Oh no…not now.<em> Then a thought occurred—the drones hovered. So why would he hear twigs snapping?

Curiosity getting the better of him, as usual, he stood and went out of the stone structure that acted as a tent for them.

He could dimly see some bushes rustling, so he put one hand on Lock's core to be safe. What—_who _came out was entirely unexpected. "Beyal?!" he exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Chase, what's going on?" he heard Jinja ask sleepily, and she poked her head out. She blinked when she saw the white-haired teen. "Why is…?"

"I just asked."

The others looked out as well, and Chase saw Dax's eyes narrow a bit when he saw Beyal. "Why's snowball here?" he asked.

Chase groaned, and Beyal sighed a bit before saying quietly, "Can I see that for a bit?" while pointing at the Core-Tablet.

"Why?" Bren asked.

In response he simply came up and took it. Chase wasn't exactly sure what he was doing with it, but he appeared to be scanning each of them for…something.

The device made a beeping sound as Beyal was checking Jinja, and without a word he picked a small, silver-colored thing off of her jacket. Wordlessly he put it onto the ground and smashed it.

"What was that?" Chase asked.

"A tracker," Beyal said simply.

Bren's eyes widened. "That's probably how those darn drones kept finding us!"

"Exactly." The white-haired teen lowered his gaze a bit. "There's another reason I came out here. I…I was thinking about the things you told me, Chase."

"What exactly did he tell you?" Jinja asked, glaring slightly at Chase, who looked sheepish.

"About you guys. Sabriel, Torrigan, Belgaer. The prophecy. Your—missing brother." The others watched curiously, waiting. "And about that last bit…I think—well, I don't know if I'm him or not, but—I want to go with you guys. I feel like I'm _supposed _to go with you guys."

There was silence in response. Chase turned slightly to look at the others—only to see them looking back at him. "Well?" Dax said, looking annoyed. "You're the one who spilled everything to him. Is he coming with or not?"

"Of course he is!" Chase replied. Beyal smiled in response.

* * *

><p>"There they are…" Latinus said. The sun was just coming up now. "Five sitting ducks, all in a row."<p>

"Now is the time, little ones," Medea said, standing. "It appears our prey is ready and waiting…"

* * *

><p>Chase let out a startled yell when the four of DarkSpin suddenly dropped out of the sky, immediately waking the others. Dax groaned. "Can't you creeps get the fact that this is a private club?" he asked.<p>

"Dear boy," the mercenary purred. "Please…allow me to show you my invitation!" She took a red-and-green core out. "Toxiclaw, launch!"

The core collided with a rock, and a red Monsuno resembling a crab appeared. The other three were quick to follow up.

"Let's go for it, guys!" Chase exclaimed, now wide-awake, Lock's core in hand. The others followed—Quickforce, Charger, Airswitch, and Glowblade.

Moonfire tried attacking Quickforce, but the said Monsuno immediately put up a shield. One of Toxiclaw's claws suddenly detached, slamming into Charger. "Plasma Bombardment!" Jinja shouted in retaliation. The attack was a direct hit—Toxiclaw was too slow to get out of the way.

"Lock, Inner Shine!" Chase ordered when he saw an incoming attack from Spikebat. The attack dissipated against the shield, and the beam of energy that was the counterattack hit dead-on.

"Glowblade, Deadly Deluge!" Beyal yelled. The serpent Monsuno did as such, slamming Spiderwolf with it. Lock followed up by slugging it in the face, and it was soon sent back to its core.

An Arctic Aura from Airswitch that hit Spikebat was the last straw for the bat hybrid, and it plummeted, crashing right into Moonfire. A Dispersion Blast sent both back to their cores. Charger rammed into Toxiclaw, and Glowblade went in for the finishing blow. "Ooh, well aren't you all full of surprises," Medea said, one eye twitching slightly. "You have a new friend…" Then she and her crew leaped off a ledge, using their flight-suits to scram.

* * *

><p>"Nice work there Snowball," Dax commented to Beyal.<p>

"Thanks," Beyal replied after calling Glowblade back into its core.

The differences between the Core-Tech and STORM cores were obvious, but Chase felt as though they didn't really matter much. They were both from the same magic green stuff from the planet, after all.

Bren stopped from where he had been walking. "Hey Beyal, weren't you part of STORM?" he asked.

That got all of them to stop. The glasses-wearing boy had a point. They all looked to Beyal, who immediately looked away. "Originally I was only supposed to be at the base until someone found my parents, but…that never happened. Everyone got used to me being around eventually. But no—I'm not really part of STORM." He chuckled a little before adding, "And the only reason I have Glowblade is because I kept pestering the Commandant immediately after I saw Driftblade for the first time."

"Can't blame you for that," Jinja said, looking at Charger's core. "These guys are awesome."

"And to think you wanted us to leave them in that building," Dax said. She glared at him a bit.

"Hang on," Beyal said suddenly, looking around. "I think someone's coming."

Chase indeed heard what sounded like bushes rustling, and then someone emerged from the undergrowth. Someone _very familiar_.

_No…_ Chase thought, eyes widening. "Torrigan!" Jinja shrieked with joy, tackling him in a hug and nearly knocking him over. Bren was fast to follow.

"Jinja, what in the world?" he asked. "Why—why are you all…?"

"Where are Sabriel and Yrael?" Chase asked.

Torrigan froze, eyes darkening in a manner that unnerved Chase. After prying both Bren and Jinja off of him, he instead asked another question: "Why are you all out here?"

"Looking for you, duh!" Dax exclaimed.

"Should've guessed," he muttered.

"Okay, now you answer our question," Jinja said. "Where's the others?"

The man was silent before replying. "I don't know where Sabriel and Yrael are."

"What about Belgaer?" Bren asked.

"He's dead."

"_What_?" Chase, Bren, and Jinja all exclaimed.

"What do you mean, _dead_?" Dax shouted.

"Someone attacked us," Torrigan said. "They were after you four. I'd rather not explain any further than…" He trailed off, glancing up. "Who's that?"

Of course, he was looking at Beyal, who stiffened a bit. "This here is Beyal," Chase replied.

Wordlessly, Torrigan went over to him. Beyal kept his gaze even, as the man looked closely at the talisman he wore. "Fifty dollars," he said finally. "That thing cost me fifty dollars."

"Wait…_you_ bought that?" Jinja asked.

"That I did." Torrigan smiled. "It really is you."

* * *

><p><strong>It might be a while before the next one gets up, since this is the last one I had done already...and I'll have to pry myself away from playing Skyrim. That game is a whole new level of addicting...<strong>


	15. Chapter 12

After a week, the terrain had changed dramatically—they had entered the Bangli Jungle, following Torrigan's lead. Beyal had not said much to anyone except for Chase so far. It still felt like a dream, having him with them once again.

"Why are we out here, anyway?" Jinja asked, slapping some mosquitoes away.

"We're out here looking for a building. A lab, actually," Torrigan replied.

They failed to notice they were being watched. "Poor birds, all lost and alone," their observer said to himself. "Oh, soon we shall spring our trap, and clip their lovely little wings. Isn't that right, pretty one?"

* * *

><p>They had just pushed past some vines when Bren suddenly stopped, gaping. "What's wrong?" Chase asked.<p>

The glasses-wearing boy said nothing, instead pointing. "Whoa," Chase exclaimed quietly. "Tense—if it wasn't utterly and completely impossible, I'd say that this was meant to be a Monsuno." The object in question was a statue. It really did look like a Monsuno—it looked like…a dragon?

"A Monsuno statue in the middle of the Bangli Jungle, miles away from any form of civilization?" Jinja queried at the same volume, sounding disbelieving.

Torrigan looked closely at it, meanwhile, not having heard them. Finally, he said, "I don't recognize this one. And that's saying something—we were sure we had all known settlements of the Five Tribes recorded…which means this one belonged to someone else. Statues like these were used as guardians of sorts, meaning a city shouldn't be far."

"This feels bad. Really bad," Bren said nervously.

"Bren, it's just a statue…there's nothing to worry about," Beyal spoke up.

Only to skid to a halt near a ledge. It looked like there was a temple of some sort in the valley below, in the midst of a ruin city.

"Aaaand there's the city," Jinja said.

"I want to check this out," Chase spoke up, glancing at Torrigan, who nodded in agreement.

Bren remained watching the city for a bit longer before realizing the others were going on without him. "Hey, wai—?" He cut himself off, as a spark caught his eye. "Huh?" he muttered, going close for a look.

He immediately regretted it.

* * *

><p>"Where's Bren?" Chase asked, looking around.<p>

They looked around, and saw that Bren was indeed gone. Torrigan muttered a curse before saying, "We can't look for him—if we search for him in that thick jungle, it's possible to get lost in moments. And if we split up and look for him, it'd be worse."

"What's the big deal?" Dax asked. "He's got the Core-Tablet—he knows where we're going. If he's got any sense at all, he'd meet us there."

"That's the trouble," Jinja said. "Bren doesn't have any sense, remember?"

"Except for a sense of direction," Chase said. "C'mon…let's just get to the center temple."

* * *

><p>Despite his words, Dax still was worried. Bren was the scrawniest out of them, and his combat skills were tragic. He allowed himself to lag behind a bit as they were maneuvering around a crater of sorts.<p>

Of course the ground was still a little damp due to the rainstorm the night before, and he just so happened to slip and fall down into the crater. As soon as Dax stood up, however, he immediately had a red-and-black raptor-looking Monsuno in his face. He reacted on a hair-trigger, and grabbed Airswitch's core. "Wanna fight, ugly?" Right as he was about to spin him out, however, someone grabbed his arm and twisted it back. He struggled to get loose. "Take your nasty hands off me!" he spat.

"Why do you struggle, little bird?" the guy who had him asked. "There's nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. So hush…it's time to sleep." Dax felt a painful shock run through him, and then everything went black.

The man chuckled. "Two little birds caught, pretty one," he said, stroking his Monsuno's snout. "A good day's hunt."

* * *

><p>"I'm no detective, but this is <em>definitely<em> not good," Chase muttered.

"I can see _Bren_ getting lost…but Dax?" Jinja mused. "Something's not right about this."

Torrigan had even climbed up to the top of a kapok tree to get a bird's-eye view of the area near the crater a few minutes ago—he hadn't seen anything.

Suddenly Beyal stopped, and picked something up—Dax's hat. "Uh-oh," Jinja muttered. "Dax never goes _anywhere _without that thing."

"And these are Monsuno tracks over here," Beyal said.

"_What_?" Torrigan asked.

"Monsuno. Like Glowblade here." The white-haired boy held up his core. Torrigan didn't say anything in response, expressionless.

"It feels like this thing…whatever it is, is separating us from the group one by one," Chase noted. "And it knows its way around this stinking jungle!" Jinja put in. "We can't track it—we have no idea where it is!"

"But we know where it _will _be," Beyal said, getting them all to look.

"Where?" Torrigan asked.

"Wherever we are."

* * *

><p>They didn't find anything else. Jinja was sitting on the steps of the old house they had decided to camp out in, looking at the sky. It was a new-moon night, so there were only stars. The sky was also lacking any light pollution, so it was gorgeously clear.<p>

She heard someone sit next to her, and when she looked, she saw that it was Beyal—the faint light glinted off his hair. "I'm guessing you're worried about them," he said.

"Yeah…" She sighed. "We fight a lot, but—we're still family. In a sense, anyways."

"I understand."

At least he was talking to her. Then again, it was probably because the others were asleep. A distant shot got her to stand abruptly. "That was Bren!" she exclaimed, breaking into a run.

"Jinja, wait!" Beyal exclaimed—but she had already vanished.

* * *

><p>A scream woke Chase, both he and Torrigan leaping to their feet. <em>That was Jinja!<em> At that moment Beyal ran in, his expression panicked.

They ran down the path, looking around—only darkness. "Over here!" Torrigan shouted, and they stopped at a clearing. A few of the buildings were broken. "She must have put up quite the fight."

"But not good enough, or she'd be here," Beyal said grimly, shaking ever-so-slightly. "We have to save them."

"We won't stand a chance in that jungle," Torrigan said reasonably. "We'll have to lure it into the open somehow."

"Like the temple?" Chase looked at said building.

"Precisely."

* * *

><p>"Little birds, little birds, fly away home," their pursuer sang quietly to himself. "We know where you've been, we know where you're going. Don't we, my pretty one?" He directed the last part at his Monsuno. "Here, pretty one…more friends to keep you company…" He put the taken cores on his core-holder. Then he tapped a button on his wrist communicator. "Four birds caged, four wings clipped," he reported. "Only one remains."<p>

_"Plans have changed, Dom Pyro,"_ the person he was speaking to replied. _"I want Torrigan __as well…and that STORM brat. __I'm willing to pay whatever you ask. I want the brat alive—he may be an excellent bargaining chip, after all. Charlemagne appears fond of him…"_

"Oh doctor, good doctor, you have already paid for five. The sixth and seventh, we will do just for the sport."

* * *

><p>"So these…<em>Monsunos<em>," Torrigan started. "What exactly are they?"

"We're…not really sure," Chase replied.

"And no one in STORM is really sure either," Beyal said. "Jeredy Suno was the one who knew everything, besides Klipse and Tallis—but both of them left."

Chase made a mental note to ask Beyal who this "Tallis" was.

"Then we'll just have to ask this…Jeredy, then," the man said slowly.

"First off, let's see who comes in after us," Chase said, and they went into the building.

The building was dark. Torrigan was looking around warily, as were the two teens. They eventually got to a large, open shrine-looking room with plenty of decorated columns. A sudden, psychotic-sounding laugh made all of them look up.

"So the cage doors slam shut, little birds," the man said in a crazy-sounding voice.

Torrigan apparently knew him. "Dom Pyro," he snarled.

"You know this lunatic?" Chase asked.

"Sadly. I don't know who sent him, but whoever it is wants us gone…and wants it to _hurt_."

"Doctor Klipse is the ringleader of this, little birds," Dom Pyro clarified.

Chase, upon noticing the guy had a taser, asked, "Hey Sparky! How do you feel about Monsunos?"

"We love them," Dom Pyro responded simply. "Yes we do…" Beyal tapped Chase's shoulder and pointed—Dom Pyro had the others' cores. Come little birds—let us end this dance to a pleasant happy tune!" He spun his Monsuno out: "Dragonburn, launch!"

Chase responded instantly: "Lock, launch!"

Beyal followed up: "Glowblade, launch!"

Dragonburn proceeded to breathe fire at the two Monsunos. Glowblade slithered out of the way, while Chase said, "Lock, Power Charge!" The polar-bear Monsuno promptly swatted the flames aside like they were nothing.

Dragonburn then lunged at Glowblade suddenly, who weaved to the side. The Eklipse Monsuno was then brutally slugged by Lock into a pillar. The raptor-like Monsuno swung its tail at Lock, who stopped the attack.

Chase quickly glanced back, and saw that Torrigan looked impressed, vaguely. Alright Dom Pyro, now you'll know what it's like to be hunted!" Chase said loudly.

"Glowblade, Paralysis Fang!" Beyal said. The three-headed snake lunged.

Simultaneously Chase ordered, "Lock, Grappling Blast!" His attack missed—instead it demolished a pillar. And before Glowblade could hit, Dragonburn dodged to the side—and the pillar fell on the Core-Tech and STORM Monsunos. Beyal gasped in shock when his Monsuno reverted into gold-colored essence and returned to its core.

Dragonburn knocked another pillar down, but Lock managed to get out of the way in time.

Dom Pyro laughed shortly. "Now you have the stone Monsunos to fight as well! When this battle is over, little birds, I shall clip your wings oh…so…slowly."

"Not if I can help it!" Chase shot back. Dragonburn pushed another pillar over—this one fell on Lock. Beyal looked up, and appeared to notice something.

"Chase, the dome!" he hissed. "Any more damage and it'll fall!"

He caught on. "Lock, take the column down!" he ordered quickly. The Monsuno did as such.

Dom Pyro looked startled before saying, "Clever little birds! Oh so clever!"

The temple was collapsing. "Lock, return!" Chase said, and his Monsuno complied. The pillar immediately fell, and they got out just in time. "And that's that," the raven-haired teen said with a wide grin.

"Excellent work, you two," Torrigan said. His smile faded slowly as he added, "Although…the temple…was _spectacularly destroyed_."

* * *

><p>They found the others the next morning, tied to a statue. Where's Mr. Creepy?" Jinja asked.<p>

"Buried," Chase reported, grinning.

"Under a thousand tons of rock," Beyal added.

"Our cores…" Bren said quietly.

"…are right here," Chase put in, holding up the core-holder. It was a miracle that he had found it. Although they make such a nice necklace—I was thinking about keeping them for myself!"

"Stylish," Jinja remarked in a sarcastic manner.

"Okay, so grab your cores and let's move it. This place freaks me out."


	16. Chapter 13

They looked the building over with binoculars. "I recognize those things," Chase said, looking at the drones. "Something tells me Klipse built them."

"That's likely," Torrigan said, propping what seemed to be Sabriel's laptop against a rock after putting a covering over it—it looked like it would rain soon. "And it's a good thing I did my research here, then." The man stood from where he had been crouching, and kicked a small rock—prompting a hatch to open in the ground. A ladder led down.

Once inside, Torrigan looked at a small device, which had Chase puzzled. _Normally it's Sabriel that uses all the technology,_ he thought. Then again, it made sense for him to know things too. "There's a strange energy level coming from somewhere in this building," Torrigan said, looking puzzled.

"Something's telling me it's _not _good," Jinja said.

"According to the map, the control room is this way. Bren, you might want to take that…Core-Tablet, and scrounge up any data you can."

"Uh, right," the bespectacled teen replied.

"That reminds me," Beyal spoke up. "I almost forgot about these." He took out a few small devices. "They're communicators. We can keep track of each other with them."

Chase and Bren started down the tunnel Torrigan had pointed out—only to see said person heading down another. "Where are you going?" Jinja asked.

"I'm going to find out where this energy reading is coming from."

Chase's eyes narrowed a bit. "I…don't think he's telling us everything," he said to Bren quietly.

"I don't think so either," Bren replied.

* * *

><p>They eventually found the main database. It didn't take long for Bren to hack in. A few minutes in, they heard Jinja's voice on the communicator: <em>"Chase, Bren, it's Jin—something's wrong here. Torrigan's not replying, and Beyal's acting weird."<em>

"Weird? Weird how?" Bren asked, pausing in his typing for a moment.

_"He froze up for a minute or something, and then he ran after Torrigan without telling me or Dax anything!"_

"Hang tight, Jin," Chase replied. "We're still looking through the files. Bren's looking for anything useful, but it'll take a while."

_"Yeah, well guess what?" _Dax said suddenly. _"Time's in short supply_ _And we've got an excess of company."_

_"Eklipse Drones!" _Jinja put in.

* * *

><p><em>"Do me a favor—can you guys stall 'em a little longer?" Chase asked.<em>

The drones fired, and the two were barely able to dodge. "No," Jinja muttered. "But we know who can." Both she and Dax took a core out.

After dodging another blast, both Whipper and Airswitch were spun out. The former deflected a few lasers back at the drones, while Airswitch threw two drones into a larger group.

"You know, I almost feel sorry for the walking toasters," Jinja said. She and Dax barely ducked in time to avoid another shot. "But I can get over it."

* * *

><p>"Security drone sensors are picking up an <em>unusual<em> amount of activity, sir," Hargrave reported. "_Monsuno_ activity."

* * *

><p>The door opened, and the two men looked in. It was a vacant laboratory room, the dominant feature being a green-glowing meteorite inside of a glass case of sorts.<p>

Torrigan stared at it, eyes narrow. "I'm not sure what you've started here Emmanuel," he muttered to himself. "But you're not finishing it."

* * *

><p>"This file looks promising," Bren said.<p>

"Like how?" Chase asked.

"Well, I might've just found out what Klipse is doing with that old mine. Something called 'Operation Shadow-Effect.' From what I can tell, Klipse is trying to make more powerful Monsuno Essence by accelerating the natural infusion process!"

"So he can have a more-powerful Monsuno…that isn't good at all." He paused, and said slowly, "Something tells me we need to get out of here."

"Hang on. I want to download a few more of these files."

* * *

><p>"Nice work, guys," Dax commented after the drones were all smashed.<p>

Then a familiar voice said, "I find it extremely rude when company drops in unannounced." It was Klipse, accompanied by Hargrave. "Fortunately, I brought my own welcoming committee." Said welcoming-committee was Backslash and Shadowhornet.

"Bring it on, Klipse!" Dax taunted.

"Whipper, Sonic Charge!" Jinja ordered. Her Monsuno dashed towards Backslash, glowing brightly.

"Backslash, Fearsome Flex!" Klipse yelled in counter. A red aura surrounded the bear-wolf, and it stopped Whipper with ease. "It's time we teach you impertinent brats some manners."

"Impertinent on _this_!" Dax shouted. "Airswitch, Sonic Screech!" His Monsuno complied. Shadowhornet countered with an attack of his own, and the two flying Monsunos lunged at each other at a breakneck speed.

"One more time, Whipper!" Jinja said. "Sonic Blast!" This time Backslash countered by clawing the frilled lizard over the face before it could even charge the attack.

* * *

><p>Torrigan paused when he heard the door open after he'd finished setting the small explosive. A voice said, "What are you doing?" in a cold tone.<p>

"You shouldn't be here, Beyal," Torrigan said, glancing back.

"I can't let you do that," the white-haired teen went on, suddenly dashing at him.

Torrigan prepared to counter whatever strike Beyal had in mind—but he moved in a blur, dashing close and then doing a flip to get away.

"And what was that supposed to accomplish?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow.

In response Beyal tossed the detonator up and down, while giving a sharp-eyed glare. Upon seeing that, Torrigan looked at his hand, and saw that the detonator was indeed gone.

"…not bad," he said finally.

* * *

><p>Airswitch shot an orb of energy at Shadowhornet—who retaliated by sending out shockwaves which hit. The vulture-hawk fell to the ground—it was on its last bit of health now.<p>

"This is _not_ going well," Jinja stated in a worried tone.

"Tell me something I _don't _already know, Princess," Dax said.

"Now, perhaps you'd care to tell me where Chase is?" Klipse asked.

"They would…but that'd just ruin my really cool entrance!" said teen shouted, running into the room and spinning out Lock.

"Shadowhornet, Evil Extension!" Hargrave ordered. The red Monsuno's claws extended, and wrapped around Lock—but Lock gave him a spin, literally.

Backslash charged, but Lock dodged out of the way just in time, causing the wolf-bear to smash into a wall.

* * *

><p>"Beyal, give me the detonator," Torrigan said firmly.<p>

"You can't blow it up!" Beyal shouted. "You have no idea what'll happen!" Beyal himself wasn't really sure what had happened only a few minutes ago—first his head and been hurting really bad, and then something almost like a vision came to him…_of the whole place exploding_.

Torrigan sighed before saying, "Sorry for this," and took out something that looked suspiciously like a taser. The teen dodged just in time…and Torrigan instead hit the main computer. The man immediately had disasterwritten all over his face.

Due to the energy spike, the meteor glew a bright white, and the glass shattered—as the meteor let out a strange energy-signal…

* * *

><p>…while in the battle, the Monsunos all gleamed brightly before <em>changing color<em>—as if someone had grayscaled them. They still had their blue/red markings…but the obviously-wrong thing with the Core-Tech Monsunos was that their eyes were red now. The cores also turned gray-and-red.

"What the krag was that?" Chase asked.

"The Shadow-Effect," Klipse muttered. "Now we shall witness the true power of the Monsunos."

As the three of Core-Tech watched, their Monsunos turned their heads and looked at their controllers in a very scary way.

Whipper suddenly lunged—at Jinja. She barely got out of the way in time. "Whipper, what are you _doing_? Stop!" she exclaimed.

Airswitch flew at Dax, who ducked just in time. "Airswitch, back off!"

"Lock—what's wrong, big guy?" Chase asked. He jumped out of the way of an attack that would've crushed him.

"Curious," Klipse mused. "It would appear that the Shadow-Effect not only makes the Monsunos more powerful, but also blindly aggressive towards even their own controllers."

"Shouldn't our own Monsunos be likewise affected?" Hargrave asked in a forcibly-calm tone. As if on cue, Shadowhornet flew at them. Hargrave's mech-pack's "arms" _somehow_ deflected the Monsuno's attacks.

Backslash leaped at his controller. "Backslash, _return_! I order you!" Klipse yelled—it got him nowhere except getting knocked into a wall.

* * *

><p>Torrigan frantically pressed a few keys, but no dice. "Beyal, you and the others need to get out of here," he said sternly. "I'll have to do a manual shutdown. I might not be able to keep this rock from going supernova, but I can try to contain the blast. Warn the others and <em>go<em>!"

"B-But there's no way you'll survive that!" Beyal stammered in response.

In response, the man fixed him with a look. "Do you think I don't know that?"

* * *

><p>The three of them managed to hide in a small tunnel, while their Monsunos tried getting at them. "If we go down…we go down fighting," Jinja said solemnly.<p>

"Nice knowing you both," Dax muttered…right as the Monsunos all returned to their cores.

"What just happened?" Chase asked. Then they saw Beyal, panting, holding a small device of some sort. "Beyal, what…?"

"It's a prototype for an anti-Monsuno weapon," he explained. "There were two at the base, so I took one." They knew what he was talking about. Then they heard a dim explosion, making them jump. _"Time's up—everyone out, _now_!"_ they heard Torrigan shout over the communicator.

Chase immediately spun out Nitestone, and they all climbed on. They found Bren along the way, which was good—and it was then that a cold realization hit him. "_What about Torrigan?!_"

They got outside of the building—right as the actual explosion happened, sending Nitestone flying forward and knocking the others off.

* * *

><p>"Keep looking!" Chase said, tone desperate. "He's got to be around here somewhere!"<p>

"Chase…" Beyal started quietly. "He knew what would happen. Torrigan stayed in there to try to contain the explosion."

The raven-haired teen said nothing, feeling tears blurring his vision. Then he heard Dax call "Chase?" in a choked tone. He, Jinja, and Bren came up.

"We…found this," Jinja said quietly, holding up Torrigan's amulet. The silver charm was badly scorched, and the emerald set in the center was scratched up.

"He's probably nothing but ashes right now," Bren muttered, eyes fixed on the ground.

There was no denying it. First Belgaer…and now Torrigan too.

* * *

><p>"A most <em>unfortunate<em> outcome of events, sir," Hargrave noted.

"Clearly the Shadow Effect is in need of some refinement," Klipse said. "But once I fully harness its power, my Monsuno will be unstoppable."

A sudden, heavy _thud_ got them both to whirl around—and both flinched ever so slightly. "It appears there may be an additional wrinkle to the Shadow Effect, sir," Hargrave said.

"Now what have we here?" Klipse mused.


	17. Chapter 14

**Sorry for the wait. Blame the Homestuck update...**

* * *

><p>The sky above was aggressively clear. The group of five trudged across the sands of the Alto Desert at a steady pace, glad that they had plenty of water—they were only going that way as it was a shortcut. They were on their way to the Ambalan Province.<p>

Chase looked back at the others as he walked. Everyone seemed sullen—he felt so himself, actually. They knew for a fact that both Belgaer and Torrigan were dead. _Sabriel and Yrael are still out there somewhere…but what are we supposed to tell them?_

"Are we almost there?" Bren whined.

"No idea," Chase replied. "But I _do _see some shade!" There was a bit of rock rising from the sand, with a small cavern inside.

When they were all under the overhang, Dax asked quietly, "D'you guys really think we'll be able to find them? Alive, anyways?"

"Of course we will," Jinja said fervently after downing some water. "Don't even think of it being otherwise, got it?"

* * *

><p>They continued on after lunch. Beyal paused suddenly. "I hear something," he said.<p>

"Like what?" Bren asked.

"I think…a Monsuno battle?"

"Then we better go check it out," Chase decided quickly.

They all stopped on top of a dune. Ahead was a small oasis—and two STORM Monsunos against three Eklipse ones. "Hydro and Airchopper," Beyal clarified, looking puzzled.

They only saw the tail-end of the battle, however—the group of three won out. One of the Eklipse controllers—some guy wearing a top hat and an eyepatch, said, "Surrender your cores-ah!"

The group of seven—consisting of only two Elites—did as such, running the other way quickly. "Hold on," the white-haired teen muttered. "I know that guy…he used to be a Monsuno Tamer in STORM."

"What's his name?" Jinja asked.

"Jack," Beyal replied. "He left after—well…a Monsuno attacked him."

"I take it that's why he has a metal arm and leg to match," Dax said. "And is one eye short."

"Yeah."

What happened next was the strange bit. The other guy picked one of the cores up and placed it in the hammer, and raised it over his head, as if he was going to…

Chase's eyes widened. _They wouldn't!_

Beyal acted immediately, and spun out Glowblade. The instant the snake Monsuno was out, it slithered in and nimbly grabbed the hammer out of the guy's hand.

Their three controllers didn't looked startled one bit, even as the rest of the team followed suit with Nitestone, Quickforce, Whipper, and Airswitch.

One of the Eklipse Monsunos attempted to ram Glowblade, but its two side-heads stopped it in its tracks by taking it by the pinchers on its sides.

The centipede-like Monsuno flashed a bright light from its eyes directly at Airswitch, who staggered mid-air—the fault allowed the red Monsuno to electrocute it.

"Look, I really don't want to fight, but if I have to beat your Monsuno into the ground to save those other two, I will!" Chase shouted.

"Freedomstriker is not _my_ Monsuno, my son," the top-hat guy—Jack—said. "She is free, free to do as she pleases, as you will now witness-ah!" Chase then decided that this guy was also short by quite a few marbles. The two cat-like Monsunos dashed around each other, exchanging attacks—but none connected at all. "I can hear your Monsuno's thoughts," Jack went on. "He speaks to me, in a language you will _never_ understand-ah!"

Chase risked a look around—and saw that the fight wasn't really going well. Whipper had been overpowered, and so had Quickforce. Glowblade was locked in battle with Stingapede, while Airswitch continuously swooped down at Sizzler.

"Electric Barrage!" Beyal ordered, and the three-headed snake did as such: direct hit.

"Arctic Aura!" Dax followed—it was enough to get the Eklipse Monsuno back into its core. Its controller didn't say a word.

"Firespear Barrage!" Chase shouted—the attack was aimed not at Freedomstriker, but at Stingapede. It was the final shove required.

Then he noticed something weird happening. Glowblade was looking at the crazed controller directly, hissing quietly. And either it was just him, or Jack seemed to…understand it?

Without warning, he turned to look at the STORM Monsuno's controller, and said, "I remember-ah! You were the lost child brought from the mountains-ah!"

"Yes," Beyal replied. "And I remember you." Without warning, he said, "Glowblade, Paralysis Fang!" The ebony-scaled Monsuno lunged at the saber-toothed cat, which jumped to evade—but Glowblade still caught it by the tail, delivering his dose of paralyzing venom.

Freedomstriker dropped to the ground, spasming as it tried to stand.

While its controller let out a despaired cry, Chase said, "Nitestone, finish it! Crystal Blade!" The panther-jackal's claws gleamed and lengthened at the order. Freedomstriker didn't last a minute after that.

Jack looked furious. "You! How _dare_ you interrupt my pilgrimage-ah?!"

"All we did was keep you from destroying these two Monsunos," Jinja said, holding the two cores, also giving a sharp glare that they knew she'd picked up from Sabriel.

It was a glaring contest for a long minute. Then, slowly, the trio turned and went on their way.

* * *

><p>They made it there after three days. The town of Ambala was right on the fringe of Northern Alappia and Mandala—it was nestled right in a mountain valley, and was <em>somewhat<em> cold, as it was still spring. The sky was filled with clouds, and it was raining a bit.

Currently the group was resting in an old warehouse. Beyal had been awfully quiet—he was always sort of quiet, but he hadn't spoken at all yet today; right now he was looking closely at a local map. Jinja was watching the rain along with Bren, while Dax was memorizing a set of cards he'd bought.

Then Beyal asked, "Chase, is it okay if we detour into Mandala?"

"Why?" Chase asked, curious.

"Well…Ambala's really close to the Library of Tebab. I've read about that place, and I've always wanted to see it for myself. Not to mention…there's a prophecy about us, right?"

"Yeah," Jinja said, turning to look.

"There's a good chance there might be something about it there."

_He has a point,_ Chase thought. _Sabriel always went on and on about that library._ "Alright," he said, standing. "We'll go check this library out."

* * *

><p>It was sunset, and the air was crisp. It didn't take long to find the library…but they <em>did <em>quickly see a big problem.

"Talk about security," Chase muttered.

"They must _really_ have a problem with overdue books," Bren said.

"This doesn't make any sense," Beyal said, confusion written all over his face. "The library's supposed to be home to some monks…"  
>"Maybe there's something in Sabriel's computer?" Jinja suggested. In response Bren took the laptop out of his bag and opened it up.<p>

"Let's see…" he muttered, tapping some keys. "Gosh, this feels weird. Library of Tebab…right here!" His face fell. "_Oh_."

"What?" Dax asked.

"Uh…read this…"

They did as such, their expressions matching Bren's almost immediately—although Beyal looked outraged moments later. The library was currently in control of someone called "The Bookman"…and he had slaughtered all but one of the monks.

There was a map in another file—Bren downloaded a copy onto the Core-Tablet. "Okay, so if this is what the loon's done to the outside, what about the inside?" Dax asked.

"So we're gonna need a distraction," Chase stated in response. "Jin, Dax, Beyal—you stay out here."

"No way," Beyal protested immediately. "I'm coming in with you."

"It's okay," Jinja said. "Distraction is what I'm best at."

"Princess? I think you mean it's what _I'm _best at," Dax retorted.

* * *

><p>The instant Charger rammed one of the sentry towers, an alarm began blaring. Meanwhile, Airswitch sliced through some floodlights.<p>

"_This _is your idea for a distraction?" Jinja asked.

"Nah," Dax replied. "It's my idea for fun!"

The girl smirked. "Same here."

* * *

><p>As soon as they heard the door shut, Chase pushed the grate off of the floor, and the three teens pulled themselves up. "It shouldn't be far from here," Beyal said while looking at the map on the Core-Tablet.<p>

"This place is creepy," Bren muttered.

A quick look in the hallway showed that there were two people patrolling the area. Both had guns. "Wait here," Beyal whispered, eyes darkening as he started toward them silently. As they watched, he went up behind them and swiftly struck a point at the base of their necks, and they dropped unconscious. Chase remembered the technique from the Skavenger base.

As they walked by a bookshelf, Chase couldn't help but say, "All these books are here, but no one's even touched them for who-knows-how-long…"

* * *

><p>Another sentry tower was successfully taken down before the three heard an unfamiliar man's voice say, "Quite impressive." The guy had scruffy grayish-brown hair wearing glasses, and was wearing a tattered cloak. "Both of your Monsunos will be welcome additions to my library."<p>

"I take it that's the guy," Dax muttered.

Without warning, the man spun out an Eklipse core—Librax. What came out was some chimeric cross of a red-wolf and a turtle, and possibly some sort of insect.

* * *

><p>"There's nothing here!" Bren exclaimed.<p>

"No…" Beyal replied, looking at a note that had been put onto the map image. He angled two books downwards on the shelf—and a compartment at the end of the shelf flipped open to reveal a single book with an elaborate cover.

"That must be it," Chase said, and he reached to take it—but a guy wearing a porcelain mask and a red cloak snatched it first and leaped acrobatically away.

"Um. Did some ninja-robot just steal our book?" Bren asked.

"That didn't seem like a robot," Beyal said.

"Whatever! He has the book!" Chase exclaimed. "Come on!" After a bit of running, he added, "Split up—he can't get away from all of us!"

* * *

><p>Airswitch dive-bombed at Librax, but the red Monsuno merely swung its head to the side, smacking the vulture-hawk with its horns. Charger tried ramming—only to get flipped into the air after a quick contact.<p>

"His Monsuno's too powerful!" Jinja exclaimed.

"Soon your Monsunos will be mine," Bookman said. "And you…well, you won't have to worry about anything ever again!" Suddenly he froze, looking at something he had on his wrist, and exclaimed, "It's a diversion! Librax, return!"

"Looks like the ruse is up," Dax muttered.

"I just hope we gave them enough time to get the book," Jinja added.

* * *

><p>"Oh, yeah, this isn't scary at all," Bren muttered under his breath. He stopped. "Okay Mr. Book-Stealer guy, despite the fact that you haven't said anything to us, I'm sure you're a nice person…we just want to borrow that book you grabbed for a minute…there's only one thing we want to look at in it…<p>

"Maybe there's another one you'll find more interesting? Like this one—_Introduction to Advanced Cryptology_?" A pause. "Hey, that does sound pretty interesting…"

But as he went to take it, he saw a glint of light off of the guy's mask, and the guy said, "Boo!"

Being true to his nature, Bren screamed and scrambled backwards into a bookshelf—causing three different books to fall and hit him in the head.

* * *

><p>Beyal saw him immediately—thankfully before he noticed the white-haired teen. But as he lunged to grab the man's cloak, it seemed he disappeared into thin air.<p>

"Very good," the man said, suddenly behind Beyal. "But not—good enough." He started running, and Beyal started after him.

It was a bit of a challenge keeping up—the man was very nimble. But so was Beyal. "There's not many places to run here," the teen said once he had caught up, seemingly at a dead-end. "Just give me the book."  
>"As you wish," the man said, holding it out. Slightly surprised, Beyal took it and started back, opening it at the same time to look…<em>and it was blank<em>.

Gritting his teeth, he turned around—but the man was gone.

* * *

><p><em>This is getting us nowhere!<em> Chase thought. "Time to pin this guy down," he muttered, shoving one of the bookshelves as hard as he could. It tipped, and started falling—setting off a domino effect.

He heard a grunt, and soon found the man pinned underneath one halfway. "Sorry about that," the teen started. "But we need that book!"

"What is so important—about this book?"

"I need it to—we need it to learn something—about…well, _us_." He sighed heavily—now he was being the cryptic one. "Look, there's a prophecy about us. The people who raised us only let us know that much—not any details or anything. My friends and I want to know more about it."

The man was silent, looking at him through the mask. Finally, he said, "I will give—it to you. Please—help." Chase did as such, and when the man stood, he said, "You are not—what you seem."

"Look who's talking," Chase replied.

Without warning an unfamiliar voice said, "It looks like we have some rats in the walls!" Chase saw that the man had a core.

"Go," he hissed to the cloak-wearing man. "I'll be fine!" He seemed to vanish immediately—as Beyal ran up.

"You have it?" he exclaimed quietly—he threw a glare at the Bookman, as he clearly deduced who he was.

Chase nodded, while Bookman proceeded to go on a rant. "I'll have you both know—we are on the verge of a new era. And I will not be left in the dark, I will know all, and I will be all-powerful!"

"Oh great, another psycho," the raven-haired teen muttered, and Beyal nodded slightly.

"Monsunos will reshape this world," Bookman continued. "And whoever understands them and controls them has the ultimate knowledge! And with that knowledge comes true power! Adding the cores of Jeredy Suno to my collection will make me the most powerful man on the planet!"

"Yeah, as if that's gonna happen," Chase growled. To Beyal, he asked, "Mind helping me kick this lunatic into the middle of next year?"

"Gladly," the white-haired teen replied, but before he took out Glowblade's core, he glanced to the side at a small display case—which held a Core-Tech core. He grinned a bit before opening it and taking the core, spinning it out, at Bookman's protest; he spun out his core immediately, and Chase followed with Lock.

The three cores smacked against each other in the center of the room with a blue-and-red flash. Librax looked like a cross between a red-wolf and a turtle. Beyal's new Monsuno was a blue-and-white wolf with ruby spikes lining its back, and claws to match.

The wolf Monsuno lunged forward at the red Monsuno and bit down on one of its legs _hard_. Lock lunged at Librax, aiming for its head, but somehow it twisted out of the wolf's grip. In response the wolf shot a beam of ruby-colored energy from its claws at Librax, but it dodged them both.

"Your little tag-team game still won't save you!" Bookman taunted. To his Monsuno, he ordered, "Blazing Bullets!" The horns on Librax's head glew brightly red, and an orb of red plasma energy formed between them. It flung the orb at the wolf, who was hit head-on, sending it crashing into a bookshelf. Beyal bit his lip.

"My Monsuno is too powerful and quick for yours," Bookman taunted. The two teens glared…and without warning there was a burst of azure light, and a Monsuno looking like a winged leopard swooped down on Librax.

Chase looked—standing on top of one of the still-upright bookshelves was the cloaked man. "Cheeclaw—Sonic Growl!" the man ordered. The leopard-eagle sent a soundwave-type attack at Librax, holding it in place.

"I have a plan," Chase exclaimed after a moment. To Lock, he ordered, "Energy Wave!" The other two caught on immediately, and told their Monsunos to do defensive moves.

The polar-bear Monsuno snarled loudly as all the crystals on him glew brightly. Beams of light shot from them, smashing anything they came into contact with—many being bookshelves, and Librax as well. Boost put its shield up just in time to deflect one away from it, as did Cheeclaw.

"WHAT?!" Bookman shouted.

"Beyal, let's finish this," Chase said. The gray-eyed controller nodded.

Librax began charging his attack. "Boost, Elemental Claw!" Beyal exclaimed, naming his Monsuno then and there. "Lock, Grappling Blast!" Chase followed up.

Boost's attack canceled Librax's out, allowing Lock to go in…and deal a direct blow. Librax was knocked right into a wall. Cheeclaw finished it with an order of "Feather Thorns!" Librax didn't stand a chance—it instantly reverted into essence, which shot into its core.

Afterwards, all three of them ran like heck with their Monsunos.

* * *

><p>"Those fools!" Bookman ranted. "Those <em>ignorant<em> fools! It is obvious that that Monsuno, Lock, is the lynchpin! I must have it—I must control it!" His voice steadily increased in volume as he turned to look at the tapestry depicting the ancient prophecy hanging on the wall. "And if those prophetic brats don't recognize this as _my_ destiny, then I shall destroy them!"

* * *

><p>"Did you get it?" Jinja asked. Chase grinned and held the book up in response.<p>

Turning to the masked man, he said, "Thanks to this guy, anyways. Who are you?"

"Later," the man replied. "I know somewhere—where you can rest."

* * *

><p>They were led to what appeared to be a monastery built on the side of a cliff. Inside, they were greeted by a super-short ancient-looking man with deep-green eyes—wearing a cloak almost identical to the one that Sabriel owned. "Welcome," he said. "I have been waiting for you. I am Master Ey." To their slight confusion, he added, "It is good to see you again, Beyal. It has been a long time."<p>

The teen blinked before asking, "You know me?"

"Yes. You were brought to the library as an infant along with a young girl by a traveling merchant—both of you had been orphaned."

"I was?" Beyal echoed, sounding somehow both amazed and distraught at the same time. Master Ey nodded before turning his attention to all of them.

"I understand you lost Belgaer recently…I saw it in a vision."

"Yeah," Chase muttered. "Torrigan too."

"I would not be so sure about that."

"Huh?" Jinja asked, but the man did not reply.

* * *

><p>That night, the five teens stared at the illustration in the book. No writing. Only a picture.<p>

There was five people surrounded by a blue aura—them.

Encased in an orb of green were two humanoid things, one white and the other black, both being winged. One appeared female, the other male.

What it meant…they didn't know. Sabriel probably would, or Yrael. They just had to find them first.


	18. Chapter 15

They moved onto Kiel next, taking the train—they stepped off at an underground station. "It sure doesn't look like the brochure," Bren said cautiously after a few moments—it was dark and gloomy.

"Maybe because it's the middle of the night?" Jinja suggested.

"Eh, true."

"And I bet you when the sun's up, it's gonna be awesome," Chase said.

Then they heard footsteps, and saw three _familiar _people approaching. The most notable being One-Eyed Jack.

"It's a good thing you didn't put any money on that bet," Jinja said. "'Cause you would've just lost—big time."

"Sorry to ruin your day at the carnival-ah, but Jack has some Monsunos to liberate-ah!" the vagabond said. "To set free from the cruel confines you have created-ah!"

"So _this _is the break time?" Dax muttered.

"Just a bump in the road Dax," Chase said.

"I don't like bumps!" Bren whined. "Especially the _crazy-One-Eyed-Jack _kind!"

"Don't worry, we can handle them," Beyal encouraged.

"We shall set _all_ the Monsunos free-ah!" Jack shouted. "Starting with yours—Desert Wolves, spin out-ah!"

Both groups spun out…but having numbers wasn't always the biggest plus. Especially in a confined environment. It also didn't help that the Desert Wolves' Monsunos were more nimble. In other words, the fight was going very badly.

At least, until some guy holding a big white gun-like thing dropped from the ceiling, and fired said object. It shot a blue beam of some sort, as well as an _really-high-pitched sound_ which caused them all to cover their ears and shut their eyes tightly.

When it stopped…they were alone in the station. "O-kaaay…that was weird," Chase muttered.

* * *

><p>The festival was a blast. Plenty of games—most of which Beyal trounced them all in—and lots of food, including something called cotton-candy. Wasn't much of a substitute for ice-cream, but it was too cold here for that.<p>

Without warning, they heard someone say, "And so we meet again." Chase looked—it was that guy from earlier! "Allow me to introduce myself," the man went on. "I am Droog." He went on to shake all of their hands.

"Those are some cold hands Mr. Droog," Bren said. "No wonder you're dressed crazy like that." Jinja promptly hit him over the shoulder.

"Don't mind him Mr. Droog," the girl said. "He's always like that."

"Mr. Droog, we never got a chance to thank you for helping us out at the train station," Chase said. "You took off pretty fast."

"It was my pleasure," Droog replied. "What an unfortunate welcome you were given into our beautiful city. Won't you please allow me to give you the welcome you deserve, this evening at my house for dinner?"

"You're on!" Bren agreed immediately. "We love dinner!"

"Ah, what Bren means is, thanks Mr. Droog. That's real generous—we'll be there," Chase put in. Droog nodded before leaving.

Beyal's eyes were narrow. "Something's…weird about that guy."

"What are you talking about?" Bren said happily. "He's a perfectly-normal nice guy."

Chase chuckled a little at the glasses-wearing teen's enthusiasm, but in reality, he shared Beyal's thoughts.

* * *

><p>To put in short, Droog had a mansion. Beyal could immediately tell that the others had never seen a house like this before, with how they were staring at everything.<p>

"So, Mr. Droog," he started. "Did you—_know _we would be at the train station? Because—that was a really lucky coincidence for us."

"I do not believe in coincidences, Beyal," Droog replied. "I saw it in my dream."

"A…dream?" Jinja asked, looking puzzled.

Droog nodded. "I must ask—why are you traveling by yourselves?"

"Well…we're looking for the people who raised us," Chase explained.

Droog looked puzzled upon hearing that. "You were not raised by your parents?"

"No," Bren said glumly. "All five of us were orphaned."

"I…am sorry to hear that," the man said slowly, as if he was planning his words. The others didn't seem to catch on, but Beyal did. _Does he know something?_ "I am being rude," Droog said abruptly. "Let us eat."

* * *

><p>"That was some good eats," Dax said once they were finished.<p>

"Yeah—thanks Mr. Droog. Dinner was beyond awesome," Chase said. To the others, he said, "Guys, it's getting late. We better hit it."

No sooner did he say that did all the glass windows suddenly shatter, and three different people came in. "The table was prepared-ah, and many came to feast," Jack said. "Jack, Jack sees you have had yours, and Jack has come for his-ah, and Jack is craving a feast-ah, a feast of Monsunos-ah! Freedomstriker, launch!" The saber-toothed cat Monsuno appeared with a loud roar, breaking whatever glass remained. "And so, today, today shall be the day, the day when _all _Monsunos come home, home to freedom-ah!"

"I guess I know how we're burning off dinner," Chase said as the other two of the Desert Wolves spun out.

"Oh boy," Bren muttered.

"I say the more the better!" Dax exclaimed, a gleam in his eyes. "Bring it!" The last line was shouted.

Which was a very bad idea, as the support beams of the house, already weakened by the powerful sound-waves from the Monsuno cries, weakened even more. "You know, you talk way too much Dax," Bren said "Way too much!"

"Mr. Droog, stay low. We'll—" Chase started, but was cut off by Droog using his sonic-beam weapon.

Sizzler merely curled into a ball and deflected them—they hit the ceiling, which was the last bit of abuse it could take, promptly collapsing…and trapping Droog, Jinja, and Dax underneath.

Immediately Chase spun out Lock, Beyal spun out Boost, and Bren was about to follow with Quickforce…when he noticed something on the ground.

It was a dark-blue core with white grips, near a crushed safe. Was it Droog's? Or was he just keeping it safe for now? _I'm sure he won't mind if I borrow it._

Not giving it another thought, he picked it up and spun it out. The Monsuno that appeared was another saber-toothed cat, except this was looked less nimble; stockier instead.

Lock led the charge, slamming into Freedomstriker. Bren's Monsuno followed along with Boost. The former shot a beam of energy from its mouth at Sizzler, who deflected it and spin-charged at the saber-toothed cat—it jumped.

Stingapede began charging at attack, aimed at Boost—who promptly made illusory copies of itself, getting the dragonfly hybrid to stop for a moment, puzzled. The momentary pause was all Boost needed to attack.

"Use Sonic Howl-ah!" Jack said to his Monsuno, which complied. After a moment, it stopped and slammed Lock with a blast of fire—Burning Thunder.

"Lock!" Chase shouted in desperation.

Bren noticed, and said, "Longfang, Fang Burst!" while naming his Monsuno on the spot. The attack hit Freedomstriker before said Monsuno could leap onto Lock. Stingapede attempted to attack—but Lock put a stop to that with a punch to the face. Meanwhile, Boost head-bashed Sizzler, and said Monsuno went flying into a rock, returning to its core. The other two did as well.

Jack didn't show much of a response to losing, except to say, "Till we meet again, Chase Suno…"

After they were gone, the three called their Monsunos back, and dug the others out. After coughing a bit, Jinja said, "I guess our break's over."

"Sorry about your house Mr. Droog," Chase said sheepishly—the mansion was pretty much destroyed during the fight.

"Not to worry," Droog replied. "I have several other properties where I can reside. Besides…I have been wanting to renovate for some time now." To Bren, he added, "You may keep that Monsuno. You were quite skilled with it." Bren grinned in response.

Droog took a piece of paper, and wrote something on it. "In one month's time, meet me at these coordinates. I will have several Core-Tech cores that have been stolen from Jeredy Suno. I will not have all of them, but it will be a start." Then he added, "I believe you should head further north…a friend waits for you across the sea."

Cryptic as it was, it was at least some advice. "Uh, thanks for the tip," Chase said. "See you in a month, Mr. Droog."

* * *

><p>"You're sure it wasn't something you ate?" Bren asked. "'Cause I remember those tuna-fish sandwiches Torrigan got for us one day, and I had the <em>weirdest <em>dreams."

"You told us a million times Bren," Dax said flatly.

Chase ignored the others. The dream was just so _vivid_—he was standing in a field cloaked with mist, and it seemed he was alone—until he noticed there was someone wearing a white cloak, who had brown hair and _the same shade of teal for eyes that he did_. Was it his mother?

They were currently in the port town of Sindle. Beyal was looking at a directory of boats leaving the port, and said, "There's three boats for today—one's to Avalonia, but that's going south…the one for Orugaron's going west…" He blinked, and finished, "And the one for Northpoint—is going north."

"Well _duh_," Dax said before pausing and looking at Chase.

"A friend waits in the north…" the team leader murmured. "We don't have many friends…" His teal eyes lit up suddenly. "Maybe he meant Lilac!"

Lilac Marvell—the young woman they had met in the Lowlands, in Sanctuary City. The person who worked for Jeredy Suno. Who very likely knew where he was right now.

* * *

><p>"What time does the boat leave?" Chase asked.<p>

"In an hour," Beyal replied.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"


	19. Chapter 16

**Please note that I have been playing a lot of Skyrim lately, so that's kind of influencing some backstory factors.**

**Also, would anyone be interested in a side-fic-type one-shot series to this featuring Beyal?**

* * *

><p>Navis was the only actual town in Northpoint, and it wasn't that impressive—not really worth the two-day boat-trip by itself. Northpoint could be described very simply: there were lots of mountains, and it was <em>freaking cold<em>! Although that probably wasn't helped by the fact that it was five in the morning right now.

Luckily they were immediately supplied with heavy jackets. "Wh-Why w-would Lilac be _h-here_?" Bren asked confusedly, teeth chattering.

"No idea," Chase replied, zipping both jackets. "Let's just look for her…"

"What does she look like?" Beyal asked suddenly.

"Huh? Well, she has brown hair, and she keeps it tied up with a white ribbon."

"Does she have purple eyes?"

"Yeah…why?"

"Is that her?" The white-haired teen pointed at someone heading up a trail—it was indeed Lilac, who was talking…to…

Chase's eyes widened, mouth opening slightly in shock. _No…it can't be…_

"YRAEL!" Bren shouted, dashing forward. Yrael turned, eyes wide in shock at hearing the voice—only to be tackled down moments later by both Bren and Jinja.

"What're you guys doing out here?!" Lilac asked, looking startled. To Yrael, she asked, "You—you're one of the people they were looking for?"

_"Yes," _Yrael replied in standard sign-language. _"Did you all come looking for me?"_

"Duh!" Jinja exclaimed. Quieter, she added, "All of you."

Yrael clearly noticed her quick change in demeanor. _"What's wrong?" _He paused. _"Did you find my father, by any chance?"_

"Well…yeah…" Chase replied.

_"So he told you about Belgaer. Where is he?"_

Chase knew who he meant. Now came the hard part.

* * *

><p>They sat quietly around a campfire a half-hour later. Yrael stared at the fire unblinkingly, looking absolutely stricken.<p>

"So I ask again…" Lilac started. "Why are you all out here?" They'd finally introduced themselves to her, as they realized they never had. For some reason she had gone a bit stiff upon hearing Chase's name. He didn't know why, but decided it wasn't important.

"We heard you were out here," Chase replied. "Wanted to say hi." Not really the truth, but not really a lie either. "Why are _you _out here?"

"Jeredy sent me out here looking for something—the Cave of Convergence. Supposedly it hides the entrance to the fabled Valley of the Five Tribes."

Yrael leaped up and whirled around, his eyes impossibly wide, while Beyal gawked at her. "I've read about that place!" the white-haired teen exclaimed.

Lilac nodded. "Supposedly it's where a portion of one of the tribes lived in harmony with the mythical so-called _dragon-people_…Jer's acquaintance Himiko Moto would be the one to ask about that, not me."

Her eyes gleamed as she added, "It's also the metaphorical jackpot of Monsuno essence—the purest there is. Jeredy wants me to find it before—well, anyone else does. Klipse in particular." The last bit was growled.

"Can we help?" Chase asked, ignoring looks from the others.

"…I guess?"

Dax glanced up, and said loudly, "Trouble at twelve-'o-clock!"

Trouble it was—DarkSpin. "Get ready," Chase said, taking out Evo's core.

Beyal took out Glowblade's, and Dax was about to take out Airswitch—but Lilac tapped him on the shoulder. "Use this guy," she said, handing him a sky-blue core with cream-colored grips. "He's called Bioblaze." Dax stared at the core before grinning widely.

As the four of DarkSpin touched down, Chase said, "We're sort of busy right now Medea, so why don't we skip the usual chatter and get right to the fight?"

"Happy to oblige," she replied. "Poisonwing, launch!" Chase retaliated with his Monsuno immediately. Beyal and Dax followed up, and Jinja sent out Charger after a moment. "Constriction Restriction!" the mercenary ordered, and the amphiptere coiled itself around Evo.

"Shockwing!" Chase followed—the attack hit Poisonwing right in the face.

Spiderwolf sent a soundwave attack towards Charger, who blocked it with ease before slamming the wolf hybrid brutally.

Moonfire shot multiple energy blasts at Glowblade, who evaded all of them nimbly before Beyal ordered, "Streaking Blades!" The attack hit dead-on.

"Bioblaze, Dual Blades!" Dax shouted.

"Spikebat, Recovery Shield!" Telegonus countered. The bat Monsuno did as such, surviving the strike, and the two proceeded to chase each other around in the cloudy sky.

Glowblade sent a barrage of electrical energy toward Moonfire, who managed to jump over it—the attack demolished a distant ice-shelf instead.

Evo managed to land a Lightning Bash on Poisonwing, sending it back into its core. Charger blasted Spiderwolf in the face, prompting it to return as well.

Without warning, Lilac's Monsuno Featherclaw descended on Moonfire from above—Chase hadn't noticed her spin out. All the while Longfang managed to snipe Spikebat out of the sky with a well-aimed Fang Burst.

Chase glanced off to the side—there was a rocky overhang above…

An idea struck him, and he relayed it to Dax, who agreed with a grin. Simultaneously they ordered their Monsunos to attack—the overhang. It was demolished, and about a ton of snow and rock barreled toward them all. The two flying Monsunos picked them all up, the others calling theirs back, while their opponents scrambled out of the way.

"That won't keep 'em down for long," Lilac said.

"But it bought us time. So where's this cave at?"

She looked at a map before pointing at a distant mountain. "Highest mountain there is, in Lower Northpoint anyways."

"What about Upper Northpoint?" Bren asked.

In response, Beyal said, "It's too cold for _anything_ to live up there permanently, Bren."

Jinja glanced off to the side—and said, "Uh-oh, look."

They did as such, and saw a cluster of what appeared to be black tents in a valley—STORM. Beyal went completely stiff, biting his lip.

"Oh great," Lilac muttered, staring. "That's gonna put a wrench into things…I thought Jer was the only person that knew about this place."

_"Apparently not," _Yrael signed.

* * *

><p>They scanned a rock ledge carefully. "There's nothing here but rock. Rock and snow," Jinja said after about a half-hour."<p>

"No, it's here somewhere," Lilac muttered, looking. "Just look for anything _unusual_, even…"

"Like that suspicious crack in the wall?" Bren said, pointing. "It's way too straight to be natural."

There was indeed an opening in the wall. And it _definitely _wasn't naturally-formed. "Bren, you're a genius!" Lilac exclaimed.

The geek blushed before saying, "I have my moments."

Chase and Dax pushed on the wall, and it slid open more—it was a doorway, leading into a long, dark tunnel that was wide enough for a Monsuno the size of Boost (who was small for a Monsuno) to pass through easily.

As they went in, Chase became aware that the air was steadily growing colder, despite the wind chill being vacant. There were also slight scraped markings on the ground, as if something with claws frequented the tunnel.

Suddenly he stopped, and the others crashed into him in a line. "Whoa," Jinja exclaimed, her eyes widening a moderate amount.

"What she said," Dax muttered.

The Cave of Convergence was filled to the brim with sparkling green crystals, and sculpted statues of different things were all around. Some were people, and there were some dragon ones too.

There was what seemed to be a stone wall in the deepest part of the cave, located below—a mural set into a larger stone tablet. It was an exact replica of the one in the book. _"This is it,"_ Yrael signed.

It was immediately noticed that there were five handprints on the wall. _Five…_ Chase mused mentally. _I know why._ He glanced at Yrael, who nodded, and the five teens approached the wall.

Either it was just them, or they felt like it was calling to them somehow…

Almost in a trance, the five of them stepped forward, and put their hands on the door. As soon as they did, five marks seemed to shimmer in the air over their hands. Suddenly, multiple blue lines shot up from the handprints, joining together at one point at the center of the door. A seal of some sort flashed—for a moment Chase thought it somewhat looked like the Core-Tech symbol on their cores, but with other features mixed into it—but it was gone before he could really look at it, as the entire door glew brightly before disappearing, revealing another tunnel.

Lilac took a few steps forward. "Well?" she asked. "Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Sadly, they were unaware that they were being watched by four different people, though in two separate groups. "Well sir," Hargrave started. "It seems they found the entrance to the lost valley."<p>

Emmanuel Klipse nodded. "They've led me right to it." Standing up, he said, "Come, Hargrave." He started toward the entrance.

* * *

><p>A little way behind them, the other two stood watching. "You were right, Commandant Charlemagne," Trey exclaimed. "It <em>is<em> Klipse. He's trailing the Suno boy as well…"

He threw a glance at the blond-haired woman, who was expressionless.

Now they knew where Beyal had gone.

* * *

><p>The walk was of silence. Bren finally broke it by saying, "The thing about tunnels is that they never lead to anything good. It's always traps, or vicious beasts, or…" He trailed off.<p>

"_Whoa_," they all exclaimed as one.

"My dear friends, I present to you—the Valley of the Five Tribes," Lilac announced. The valley was humongous. A dense jungle was at the outer rim of it, and in the center was this _huge_ crater-lake type thing on a plateau filled to the brim with Monsuno essence, surrounded by a ruin city.

"What is that?" Bren asked, pointing at the giant crystal.

"No idea," Chase replied. "But I wanna get a closer look. Come on."

They failed to notice Lilac remain, taking out a phone. After dialing a number, she put it to her ear. The person on the other end immediately knew it was her. _"Go ahead Lilac,"_ he said.

"You getting this, Jer?"

_"The Valley of the Five Tribes! Something there is interfering with my reception—I'll boost the signal on my end to overlap the Monsuno essence frequencies." _He did as such, and the image cleared. _"There, better. Look at it—it's more perfect that I expected! This is the final piece of the puzzle. Now I'll finally be able to complete the failsafe device."_

"Awesome news. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go catch up with the tagalongs." She hung up before giving him a chance to say anything, running to catch up.

The others had reached the city already, and were looking at some of the megaliths. _"These are ancient," _Yrael signed. _"Older than anything I've seen! They must be at least twenty-thousand years old."_

"I guess they're _mega_-megalithic, then," Chase said, chuckling a bit.

A moment of silence. Then, Jinja said "Seriously?" in a deadpan.

There was an altar of sorts in front of the plateau—a large circle of stone with markings carved into it. Yrael stared at the plateau, eyes wide, and signed, _"This is the Well of Pure Life. I've heard legends of it—but I never thought it would be real!"_

"What do you know about this place?" Beyal asked.

"Yeah," Lilac added. "I only know a little from books I've read…" They didn't notice her press a button on her phone, and she had it out slightly so the screen was visible.

_"The Well of Pure Life is the source of nearly all Monsuno essence on the earth,"_ Yrael signed in typical sign-language so Lilac could understand. _"It was at this precise location, sixty-five million years ago, that the largest of the asteroids bearing Monsuno life struck the planet. Three-hundred thousand years ago, five human tribes were drawn to this valley by a calling they did not understand, and had no words to describe. Each tribe was consumed by greed, and claimed the valley as their own, and each prepared for war—but the valley was already inhabited by those who built this city. The leader of the inhabitants appeared to the five tribes, and calmed them, offering for them to all live in the valley as one. They accepted._

_"For twelve-thousand generations afterwards, they protected this place. Until one day, a descendant of the original leader had a vision of a prophecy—_your _prophecy. It told them to set out and prepare the world for the coming age of the Monsunos."_

* * *

><p>"The Valley of the Five—more Monsuno energy than I could ever wish for!" Klipse exclaimed. "Enough for an army—an empire, even! And it is all mine…"<p>

"But what about Chase Suno?" Hargrave inquired.

"With the well under my control, Chase and his father can do nothing to stop me."

"So we let them go?"

"No, we destroy them. I have a reputation to protect."

* * *

><p>"Zhis is going to be a good day for STORM, Commander Trey," Charlemagne said. "Today ve can finish Klipse and take Jeredy's boy into custody all at once. Call in zhe air fleet."<p>

"Yes ma'am," the commander replied. When he tried, however, he only got static. "The signal's being blocked." The man glanced up at the green crystal. "That thing must be stopping all transmissions."

"Proceed back through zhe tunnel and give your orders from there. Make sure both Commanders Ace and Sayre come."

"What about you, ma'am?"

"I shall begin zhe attack."

"Unsupported?" He studied the withering look in got in response, and nodded a bit before starting back out.

* * *

><p>"So…this is where all our ancestors came from?" Jinja asked.<p>

"Is that why we could open the tunnel?" Bren added. "That weird door _recognized _us?"

_"Precisely," _Yrael signed. _"Each one of you can trace your DNA directly back to one of the five tribes. You are all linked to this place, and it to you."_

"So Yrael, what do these other drawings mean?" Jinja asked.

He stared at them before signing, _"I don't know. This language looks familiar…but at the same time, it doesn't. It may be a mixture of one the Tribes used and the one the dragon-people used."_

Dax tipped his head to one side slightly. "What's that sound?"

"I think it's the crystal's resonant frequency," Bren said.

"And what are those two doing?" Jinja put in, pointing at Chase and Beyal, who were standing in place, staring at the crystal blankly. They each held Lock and Glowblade respectively, and both cores appeared to be glowing.

* * *

><p>"That's what it is," Lilac hissed into her phone. "A great big humming crystal." A pause. "The tune of it? Um, one moment…" She tried replicating it—too low. "Er, wait, that was too low."<p>

_"This is what we've been looking for!"_ Jeredy exclaimed. _"Lilac, it's vital that you get me a recording of that crystal!"_

"On it. Just hold your horses, 'kay?"

* * *

><p>Without warning, both Chase and Beyal went stiff. "We're not alone," the former exclaimed. "Klipse and Charlemagne—they're both here!"<p>

The former spoke first. "Well, he's half-right…"

Then the latter. "Actually Klipse, he's completely right."

Lilac went stiff, and hissed into her phone, "I'll call you back."

"You won't ruin my experiments," Klipse snarled. "Not this time!"

"You should have stayed in the laboratory Klipse," the commandant replied—the scientist promptly spun out Backslash, while she followed up with Driftblade.

As the two Monsunos emerged…something weird happened. The crystal flashed blindingly, and the humming noise increased in frequency, getting everyone to wince slightly.

When they could see clearly, they could see that the Monsunos' markings had turned green. "Well, you two have fun," Chase said calmly, and he turned to walk away—

Only to have Klipse shout, "Stop right there!"

"You are going nowhere!" the commandant-marshal followed up in a snarl.

"And I have to listen to you _why_?" Chase countered. Both Monsunos growled at him in loud, threatening manners. He huffed slightly before taking out Lock's core and spinning him out.

He failed to hear Lilac's startled exclaim upon seeing the polar-bear Monsuno.

Immediately Backslash and Driftblade sent attacks his way. "Lock, Elemental Bunker!" Chase ordered. The shield went up—yet Lock still took damage. Needless to say, the fight soured very, _very _quickly.

* * *

><p><em>What the krag did I get myself into?<em> Chase thought as he saw that Lock had lost three whole segments of energy.

"Suno is mine," Klipse shouted.

"Remember your place, Klipse!" the blond-haired woman shouted back. Driftblade promptly ran to attack Backslash.

It also gave Lock time to recover a bit, and for Chase to get an idea—he took out Evo's core. Meanwhile, Beyal took a deep breath, and spun out Glowblade alongside Evo. The latter dive-bombed Backslash, while the former coiled around Driftblade, stopping it in its tracks. Chase couldn't really distinguish Charlemagne's expression, but he could have sworn he saw a look of betrayal for a few moments.

At that moment he heard what sounded like a few explosions—and very suddenly there were quiet a lot of cloud-hoppers in the valley. And Chase saw all three commanders.

* * *

><p>"Ah, Jeredy?" Lilac said into her phone, ducking out of sight. "Things are going to hell here!" Glancing at the fight, she added to herself, "And I'm seriously starting to wonder about that kid's mentality now!"<p>

_"Wait, what kid?"_

"Remember those kids from Casco Gorge? I ran into 'em again."

* * *

><p>We have to help!" Jinja exclaimed from where she and the others were, and she promptly spun Whipper out. The others followed with Quickforce, Airswitch—and Yrael followed with one of his own, which looked to be a hybrid between a mandrill and a rat.<p>

"_How's it going_?" Lilac repeated. "Well…if you'd call about a million STORM troops joining the party good, then I'd say it's going great."

"Who the krag are you talking to?" Dax asked—Lilac ignored him.

"You want me to _what_?" A pause. "Alright, alright, I'll do it!" Standing, she yelled, "Chase, catch!" and threw the phone. It hit him in the back of the head, and the others all winced.

Wincing, Chase picked the phone up, and asked, "Hello?" He looked startled a moment later, and there was a pause. "That's sort of obvious, but—wait, you want me to _destroy _the well?"

_"I need you to trust me. Whoever built the well anticipated this eventuality. I've been analyzing the humming from the large crystal and figured out that it's actually a self-destruct mechanism of a sort. It's activated by using the crystal's own resonant frequency. I can reproduce the tone here—but you have to get the phone output to the well. Do you understand?" _the scientist directed.

"Yeah—I got it."

_"Make sure you get to safety as soon as the phone output is in the well."_

"Right." Chase looked. "Aw man," he muttered, eyes widening. Lock was fighting Backslash, Evo was fighting Blackbullet, Glowblade was fighting Driftblade, Riccoshot against Shadowhornet…it was a nightmare. _This is gonna be like crossing a busy freeway at night. Blindfolded. Except with monsters._

He was greatly appreciating Belgaer's lessons now…

* * *

><p>"Uh, guys? What's he <em>doing<em>?" Bren asked at seeing Chase maneuver around the fighting Monsunos.

"Um…passing on a message?" Lilac suggested.

* * *

><p><em>He better be right!<em> Chase thought, throwing the phone. The crystal flashed brightly, and then dimmed, starting to fall, as the humming noise lowered.

"No! _What have you done?_" Klipse shouted.

"Who, me?" Chase asked before laughing and turning to run. "Book it guys!" he yelled.

The crystal hit the essence, which glowed blindingly…and then the whole thing exploded. The shockwave nearly blew all of them back, and it was a good thing that Lock managed to get in front of them and put a shield up, shielding them from debris.

* * *

><p>In Mandala, Master Ey looked up in shock. "No…" he exclaimed quietly. "The Well of Pure Life—it is gone!"<p>

* * *

><p>When the debris was done flying, Chase called Lock back, and Beyal did as such with Glowblade. Everyone else was evacuating as well.<p>

He couldn't help but hope everyone made it out alive.

* * *

><p>When they were back in sight of Navis, Yrael rounded on Chase. <em>"What have you done?"<em> he signed angrily. _"You just destroyed the Valley of the Five Tribes!"_

The other three of the closer-knit teens got in front of Chase defensively, while Chase replied, "STORM and Eklipse wouldn't just used it all for themselves—they probably would've destroyed each other in the process. And us, too. It's better that no one has it."

Yrael's mouth opened and closed a few times, as if he would have tried to speak, but he couldn't of course. He sighed, and signed, _"I'm sorry. You're right." _

Then Lilac spoke up. "Hey, Chase? I have a question for you."

"What is it?" he asked.

"How did you get that core?" she asked quietly. "Jeredy is the only one with the key to the safe it was in."

"Well…the door recognized me or something. I don't really know how that worked."

Lilac nodded a bit, then whipped out her phone (which she had managed to rescue), dialing a number quickly. "Jer? Uh, I may or may not have just learned something…"

_"What is it?" _they heard Jeredy ask.

"I think I might've just found your son."


	20. Chapter 17

**Sorry this took so long. Life has bee..._extremely hectic_. What with my little sister having to go to the hospital because of a severe asthma attack and all. She's okay and home now, thankfully.**

**Question of possible side-story to this having Beyal as the main character still stands.**

* * *

><p>There was dead-silence for a whole minute before they heard Jeredy speak again: <em>"Lilac, this isn't funny."<em> He sounded a little angry.

"And I'm not joking! That kid has _Lock_! That means he opened the safe!" Nothing was heard after that, and they heard Lilac mutter "He hung up," a half-minute later.

Chase couldn't quite describe what he was feeling at that moment. Everything around him seemed blurred, and he felt as though he'd been struck by lightning.

He wasn't orphaned. His father was _alive_, and they'd _met him_ already!

And yet…they'd heard otherwise from Sabriel and the others. That thought struck him quite suddenly, and it clearly came back to the others too.

"Yrael," he heard Jinja start. "We need the truth. Now." Her tone beckoned no argument.

The mute man flinched a bit before sighing. _"I may as well at this point. There's not exactly anyone to stop me now. When my parents and Belgaer told you that you were orphans, it was a lie. Only to keep you all from going out looking for them."_

"But why?" Bren cried, looking absolutely betrayed.

_"You know this already, but I'll say it again. All five of you are far more important than you realize."_

"Because of the prophecy, yeah, we know," Dax said dismissively. "So, who're my parents?"

"I want to know mine too!" Jinja piped up.

"And mine!" Bren added.

_"Slow down! One at a time." _Yrael looked at Dax first. _"Your mother is named Juliet Martinez. She lives in Hargeon City. She's also the only survivor of what's called the Gardil incident. Unfortunately your father didn't make it out of there." _Dax was quiet. The look in his eyes said everything, though.

_"As for you, Jinja—well, your family's pretty up there when it comes to social standings. They're named Lucy and Gerard Blackwell."_ Chase remembered hearing that name from Sabriel once or twice.

"What about mine?" Bren asked eagerly.

_"Marie and Wallace Rainier. You also have two older brothers."_

"I do?!"

Yrael nodded, and frowned before finishing: _"Beyal, the orphan part is true for you, unfortunately."_

"Knew that already," was the quiet reply.

What brought Chase's attention fully back to the present was Jinja asking, "You want to see your dad, don't you?"

"What about you guys?" he asked.

"Hey, you're the one that dragged us into this mess in the first place," Dax said. "You're the one that gets the honor."

Chase smiled at that. "Thanks. Lilac?"

"Yeah, yeah," she replied. "I'll get you all there. No worries."

* * *

><p>They were alongside the border of the Alto Desert once again. High cliffs were scattered around the area. "Are we there yet?" Bren complained.<p>

"Actually, yes," Lilac replied, pointing. A single cliff rose up ahead, and it had what looked like an inlet close to the top. "Jeredy's lab is right up there." At seeing their expressions, she added, "What? We had to make sure no one could find him…which a lot of people want to do."

"C'mon Chase," Jinja said. "Let's go find your dad."

"And instead of climbing," Lilac started. "Featherfang, launch!" The wolf-peacock appeared with a shriek, and lowered itself for them to climb on. Then it started leaping up the numerous ledges that jutted from the cliff face. Once at the top, they climbed off and Lilac called her Monsuno back.

Further in there was a large metal door. Lilac went up to the wall, and moved a rock to the side to reveal a panel of some sort. She placed her hand on it, and it flashed once. "Okay, we can go in now," she said, promptly pushing the door open.

Inside there was a table, a sleeping-bag on a small ledge, and quite a few computers—one of which had none other than Jeredy Suno working at it. He paused when the door opened. "Lilac, what are you doing here?" When no response came, he turned his head to look, and went stiff, eyes fixed on Chase. For a long minute, no one moved.

Finally, they heard the scientist say, "Chase?" His tone was quiet, hopeful and disbelieving.

The raven-haired teen swallowed hard, gripping Lock's core hard before replying, "Hi dad."

His father had no visible response. Chase flinched when he felt Jinja shove him a little. "Go on!" she whispered. "Do something!"

"Like what?"

"I don't know—just, something!"

Chase thought it over. Really only one thing made sense, so that's what he did—running tackle-hug, which was immediately returned.

"Chase, I—" His father tried to speak, but broke off. "I thought I'd never see you again, after—after you disappeared like that." His voice was wavering, but Chase didn't pay attention to that.

It took a bit for Chase to remember what he wanted to ask. "Hey…dad? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Jeredy replied immediately.

"It's about my mom…" He trailed off when he saw his father's expression. "Dad, what—?"

Jeredy sighed heavily, and pulled a chair over to sit. "It happened a year after you were born," he started. "We were going to Wyverre to visit a friend of mine, and some people stopped us a mile out of Wyverley. They—they demanded that we gave you to them. Your mother refused." He paused before continuing. ""Next thing I knew I was waking up on the ground, and I heard you crying. The people that tried taking you were gone, and you were on the ground, and—I couldn't find Sophie anywhere." Chase took it that _Sophie_ was his mother's name.

"So they took her instead, then," Lilac said. Jeredy nodded slowly.

* * *

><p>"So that's what happened," Jon Ace said quietly. After tapping into the phone that had given off the signals during the incident in the valley, he, Trey, Rogirek, and Charlemagne had all listened.<p>

Jeredy never told anyone what had happened to his wife. All everyone knew was that she had simply vanished He had always gone silent when anyone tried pressing for details.

"Ma'am?" Trey asked. "What now?"

Her response was simple. "We go get Jeredy Suno."

* * *

><p>Jeredy quickly tried changing the subject. "Why don't you introduce me to your friends?" he asked.<p>

"Huh? Okay…" Chase muttered. Jinja gained a worried expression. He looked more troubled than ever now.

After Chase had pointed them all out in turn, the scientist smiled at Beyal. "You've gotten a lot taller since I last saw you."

"Hold on, you know snowball?" Dax asked.

"I saw him quite a lot, actually. And—who's this?" Jeredy was looking at Yrael now.

"Oh yeah…dad, this is Yrael. He's one of the people who raised us," Chase supplied.

"Really." Jeredy's tone was the opposite of friendly. Yrael, in response, looked him directly in the eye and signed, _"My mother may have been the one who have taken your son, but I was only a ten-year-old at the time. I had naught to do with the abductions."_

Jeredy didn't say anything in response. Instead, he changed the subject. "Actually, it's probably a good thing you brought everyone here, Lilac."

"It is?" she asked cluelessly.

"Yes." He went over to the computer. "Chase, there's something you need to know. It's the Monsuno Essence—it's gone out of control. Like it has a mind of its own…it's been burrowing deep into the core of the planet. And now it's building up with astronomical amounts of power. If I can't find a way to stop it…the whole planet might very well be destroyed.

"If I have a hope of stopping it, I'll need your help—all of you. I need you to…hm?"

Either it was just them, or they heard helicopters out there. "Hold on, let me go look," Lilac said, heading out. Exactly ten seconds later she ran back in. "Trouble!" she shouted. "STORM found us!"

"We've got to get out of here!" Chase exclaimed, and they all started running out—only to see ten soldiers holding guns plus Trey and Rogirek there.

"Take me—but leave my son alone," Jeredy said.

"Dad, what—?!" Chase protested.

"Not your call Suno," Trey said. "We'll take what we want."

"Leave them alone!" Beyal shouted.

"Keep quiet you traitor," Rogirek spat.

The white-haired teen glared, and then glanced up at the ceiling of the cavern, as if trying to figure out how high it was. "Okay—then take this!" He took out Boost's core.

"Beyal, what are you—?" Jinja started.

"Boost, launch!" The core zipped across the ground, colliding with a column. The wolf-cougar emerged with a roar, and two soldiers immediately tried shooting it. The laser rounds did next to nothing, and Boost jumped towards them.

However, the ruby spikes on her back also slashed some wires overhead, which began sparking dangerously. "Grab Jeredy Suno!" Trey ordered. "He's priority number-one!"

"Yes sir!" two soldiers replied, running towards them.

"Let go of me!" Jeredy spat, although they did not listen.

"_Dad_!" Chase exclaimed, and tried making a lunge for them—but a rock fell in his way. The cavern was collapsing.

"We need to get out of here!" Beyal shouted, calling Boost back. "Run for it!"

They did as such, sliding down the cliff. Just in time, as well—the machinery all exploded. "Are you nuts, Beyal?!" Bren exclaimed. "Spinning out in a small space like that? You'll get us killed!"

"Hey, at least we're not prisoners of STORM," Dax said in the white-haired teen's defense.

"No…but my dad is," Chase said forlornly.

"I _knew_ it was a bad idea listening to you guys," Lilac muttered.

"Oh, so it's Chase's fault?" Bren growled.

"Guys, shut it," Jinja interrupted. "We have to go and bring Chase's dad back home, okay?"

"Jin has a point," Chase said. "But home…I don't even know where that is."

* * *

><p>They followed the Hoppers into the night. "Guys? We've got about thirty seconds until Bioblaze is cooked," Bren said, looking at the Core-Tablet.<p>

In response Yrael stood up, taking out the core that Lilac had given to him—Wingblade. He spun it out, the core hitting a cliff. The Monsuno that appeared resembled a four-winged owl with blades of crystal adorning its lower-wings and tail. It swooped under them as Dax called Bioblaze back into its core, and they dropped onto the bird Monsuno.

"Okay, Yrael, fly us between the Hoppers," Chase ordered. Yrael nodded, and Wingblade immediately did as such.

Once there, Chase faced one of the Hoppers, and spun Lock out on top of it. Jinja did the same to the other with Charger. Immediately the two aircraft sank a bit under the Monsunos' weights, and went down further when the two reared and slammed onto them, knocking an engine or two out each.

As soon as the Hoppers hit the ground, both Monsunos jumped off.

* * *

><p>They observed some soldiers warily coming out, holding weapons, from a ledge far above from where the Hoppers were.<p>

All of them jumped slightly when a voice behind them said, "Vell, you all are just full of surprises, aren't you." It was Charlemagne…along with all three other commanders.

"You're messing with the wrong family," Chase shouted. "We aren't leaving without my dad!"

"Then I guess you brats won't be leaving at all, then," Rogirek growled, taking out a core—Nitefang.

Lock growled threateningly, and Charger took a heavy step forward while the others got their cores out as well. Chase saw some hesitation on Beyal's face, although he quashed it.

Everyone spun out—Driftblade, Riccoshot, Blackbullet, and Nitefang against Lock, Quickforce, Charger, Glowblade, and Arachnablade—Lilac and Yrael had gone to get Jeredy.

"Blackbullet, Sonic Rain!" Jon ordered. The falcon Monsuno swooped in low, an energy field following—it hit all.

Riccoshot followed with a Ballistic Repeater. "Arachnablade, Elemental Wall!" Dax countered—the shield came up in time. However, Nitefang jumped over it, and began attacking all of the Core-Tech Monsunos brutally. A strike from Driftblade brought the shield down, which let Blackbullet come in for another attack. Chase bit his lip. This _seriously _wasn't good…

"Quickforce, Dispersion Blast!" Bren shouted. The attack was directed at Blackbullet, who was coming in for another attack—it hit dead-on. "Now Blind Wing!" Bren followed.

The resulting flare of light stopped the STORM Monsunos in their tracks. Glowblade sent an Electric Barrage towards Nitefang, but it jumped out of the way. Charger shot a beam of energy at Riccoshot, but the beetle reflected it. "Power Fortress!" Jinja said quickly. Just in time.

"Driftblade, Plasma Barrage!" Charlemagne ordered.

"Energy Spike!" Chase countered. Lock promptly absorbed the attack, and shot half of it back at Driftblade, and half of it at Riccoshot. "Time to kick it into high-gear," he said to the others.

"Glowblade, Sonic Mind-Scream!" Beyal said. The attack sailed towards Nitefang, but the komodo-dragon hybrid dodged it again.

"Arachnablade, Paralysis Dart!" Dax put in. The attack hit Riccoshot, which struggled to move—failing to get out of the way of a Power Bash by Charger.

"Driftblade, Electronade Cannon!" Charlemagne yelled, clearly getting frustrated.

"Inner Shine!" Chase retaliated. The attack was blocked, and the commandant ordered her Monsuno to attack again—this time it was coming in for close-combat.

But Chase had something else up his sleeve. "Emerald Diamond Rain!" The crystals on Lock turned green, and a shard of crystal-like energy shot forward, and hit the lion Monsuno right in the face, sending it flying into a cliff. That was the final shove needed—it returned to its core.

Above, Blackbullet zipped around Quickforce in an attempt to confound it—no dice, however. One final attack sent it right back to its core. "Way to go Quickforce!" Bren cheered. Riccoshot then took to the air—although only by two feet or so—and charged toward them. "Binding Blast!" the glasses-wearing teen ordered.

Riccoshot was promptly sent plummeting, also sending Nitefang flying due to impact. "Raised Barrage!" Dax shouted. Exactly six seconds later Nitefang was sent back into its core. Rogirek looked _furious_. Without warning, the ground underneath the blue Monsunos began sparking.

"Thought you'd all enjoy a Seismic Charge!" Trey shouted.

In response to that Arachnablade stuck its two front legs into the ground, and the ground around it glowed blue and the light shot towards a dune—and the beetle Monsuno was forced up. A following combined attack from Lock, Quickforce, Charger, and Glowblade was overkill.

Moments later Featherfang leaped up, its controller and Jeredy in tow. "Let's book it!" Chase shouted, running to get on. The others went right for Quickforce, the other Monsunos being called into their cores. For a moment Chase thought he saw Beyal glance back, but didn't pay mind to it.

For now, the main idea was _escape_.

* * *

><p>"So…you have to go?" Chase asked, letting his emotions emphasize his words.<p>

"I'll be back Chase, I promise," Jeredy replied. "I have work I need to do—_important _work. I'm the one who started this Monsuno madness…and I need to stop it."

"We can help," Chase offered. "All of us! We can—"

Jeredy stopped him, putting his hands on his son's shoulders. "You've already helped. I wouldn't be standing here otherwise. But you have to let me finish my work. I'll come back…I promise."

Chase was silent a bit, looking at the sky. "Alright," he said finally. "I'll hold you to it." He smiled a bit before saying, "Maybe you can help us find Sabriel after?"

The scientist hesitated before replying, "Of course. And one last thing." Jeredy looked over at Bren and Jinja. "I sent photos of you two to your parents." He gave a half-grin that he shared with Chase when he saw the looks on their faces. "I haven't gotten anything back yet, though."

Chase gave him a quick hug, before his father and Lilac started off. "So, now what?" Jinja asked—although she was clearly hinting at something.

"Melian City, I guess," the team leader replied. He paused, taking out Torrigan's necklace from one of the inner pockets of his jacket. _I seriously wish Torrigan was here…or Belgaer, even…I just need some advice…they'd know what to do._

* * *

><p>In an underground storage building in Coastal City, Digby Droog took a small device that had been stuck to the wall. "Ah…you have made my job so much easier," he said to it, although he knew it was an inanimate object. "Destroy all Monsuno essence, in one stroke…brilliant. You have done my work for me. I do not want to interfere with something so very spectacular." He put it back exactly in place. "Thank you, Doctor Suno…thanks to you, my people will be avenged…"<p>

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in an underground laboratory a mile away from Melian City, Emmanuel Klipse and Hargrave observed a being that was being kept in a cage-like tank of sorts. The former smirked before asking, "How's the water, Torrigan?"<p>

* * *

><p>In the Cloud-Carrier, Rogirek Sayre paced back and forth. He was beginning to get impatient—Charlemagne hadn't done anything major to screw up at all, except for losing Jeredy Suno. Even then, it wasn't like anyone would pay any mind to that. To most people, Jeredy was a mere scientist.<p>

Still, he'd just have to bide his time…and wait for the perfect moment to act.


	21. Chapter 18

**To my two guest-reviewers: your questions about Beyal have answers in earlier chapters, specifically the prologue (parts 2 and 3) and the 10th chapter (although it's technically the 13th).  
><strong>

**As for what Rogirek's motives are...they will be learned later. Most likely during the season-2 half of this fic, as I recently realized my original plan just flat-out won't fly.**

* * *

><p>They set camp in Southern Alappia at the time, two miles from Wyverley. The scenery wasn't <em>exactly <em>familiar, but still was. "You're kidding, right?" Dax asked, looking at Bren.

"What? Quickforce has seen a lot of action lately," Bren said. "He needs a bath."

"A bath? C'mon—he's a ferocious fighting Monsuno, not a dog!" Bren ignored him.

"Give him a break Dax," Jinja said. "He's not hurting anyone." At that moment Quickforce snorted and shook himself off, coating everyone in soapy water. "I stand corrected," the auburn-haired girl muttered, wiping some soap off.

Suddenly the Core-Tablet began beeping. Curious, Bren went over to look—and exclaimed, "Whoa! DarkSpin—they've been spotted. It looks like they're following someone…"

"Well, if it's not us, who cares?" Dax asked.

"Uh, us actually—that _someone _they're following is Chase's dad!"

"_What_?!" Chase exclaimed. "He's supposed to be laying low! Why's he in the open?" The teen paced back and forth. "What could be important enough to let DarkSpin pick up his trail?"

"At least we know where he is," Jinja said. "I mean, you want to see him again, right Chase?"  
>"Well, yeah, I do."<p>

"And judging by DarkSpin's current rate of travel…they'll catch up to him in about three hours," Bren said.

Chase clenched a fist. "We need to help him. Medea's crazy—she's the worst possible person to get ahold of my dad…well, except maybe for Klipse. We won't be able to use our Monsunos, though—it's too far, and they're not fast enough." He paused, looking at Beyal.

The white-haired teen caught on. "But we do know someone who can!"

* * *

><p>"Zhis had better be good, Commander," Charlemagne growled as she walked into the room.<p>

"It is," Trey replied. "The rogue controllers—they've surrendered in Southern Alappia, and are en-route to the main base."

"Zhat _is_ excellent news. Never mind the base—have them flown here to the Cloud Carrier at once." Trey saluted before leaving the room.

"About time," Rogirek muttered.

Jon gave him a look. Lately the senior commander had been acting strange, always insisting on being on the Cloud-Carrier or in whatever base Charlemagne was at. Most of the time he wanted to stay as far from her as possible—it was a little-known fact that he held great aversion to her due to her being put in charge of STORM instead of him.

Another thing he found confusing: why was Chase giving up so easily? If there was one thing he figured, it was that he had inherited his father's willpower. Same with Beyal—the white-haired teen was known for his craftiness. _So maybe it's a ploy of some kind…?_

* * *

><p>"New orders," one soldier said. "We're being re-routed to Cloud-Carrier Epsilon, by direct orders of the Commandant-Marshal."<p>

"Whoa, the top lady herself!" the second exclaimed. "I've never even seen her!"

"This—this is big-time! We'll definitely get promoted!" the third added.

"_This_ is your plan?" Jinja hissed.

"Okay, so maybe this isn't the best idea," Chase said. "I'm sorry.

"That's an understatement," Dax muttered, Yrael nodding slightly.

"I can't believe you talked us into this!" Jinja continued ranting.

"Well I didn't hear _you_ coming up with any bright ideas," Chase said.

"Yeah? Well maybe I'll start now."

"Yeah? Well go right ahead."

"Fine." She stood up. To one of the soldiers, she said, "So…how would you guys like to _really_ impress your boss?"

"Quiet, you."

"Oh, okay then. I just thought you'd like to know where _Jeredy Suno_ was?"

The copilot turned his head. "You know where Doctor Suno is?"

"Yep. And I'd be more than happy to tell you if you promise to let me go…"

"Jinja!" Chase exclaimed, shocked.

"Hey, this could be good for my career!" the copilot said.

"Yeah! And I _am_ in line for a promotion!" the third one put in.

"Alright kid," the pilot said. "If you're telling the truth, you got a deal."

The Hopper turned, and as soon as Jinja sat down, Chase said, "Jin, I really hope you know what you just did."

"Unorthodox plan, but at least we're making good time," Bren put in.

"At this point, that's all that matters. Then we'll give these STORM stooges the slip."

"Uh, little problem," Dax said, pointing at the Core-Tablet's monitor. Jeredy had stopped moving.

"My timetable didn't account for this! At this point it'll take _less_ than three hours for DarkSpin to catch him!" Bren exclaimed.

"Less by how much?" Chase asked hesitantly.

"A lot!"

* * *

><p>Chase gritted his teeth. When he tried telling them to speed the Hopper up, they ignored him. Then his eyes fell on a button on the side of the pilot and copilot seats. Acting fast, he leaned forward and slammed a fist against both, and the two pilots fell out. "See ya!" he called down, thankful for seeing parachutes. Dax lunged and grabbed the third soldier's weapon.<p>

"So, are you going to cooperate?" Jinja asked sweetly.

"Are you kidding me kid? I don't know how to fly this crate!" he shouted. "I'm out of here!" He grabbed the remaining parachute pack and jumped out.

"Oh great! Now what's the plan?" Dax asked.

"Leave it to me," Beyal said, taking the controls.

* * *

><p>"How beautiful," Medea purred. "We have them now."<br>"We do?" Argius asked dumbly. "But they're still way over there!"

"Oh, it's a figure of speech, you lummox! Come on."

But only a few seconds after that a Hopper literally swooped in. "What the…?" Latinus mused.

"Move, my little ones!" Medea exclaimed, and all four of them ran the other way.

The Hopper crashed roughly against one side of the suspension bridge, snapping a few of the wires. It circled once before losing altitude again, this time skidding on the pavement before coming to a halt. The door was kicked out immediately.

* * *

><p>"They say any landing you can walk away from is a good one," Bren said shakily, jumping down with Dax behind him.<p>

"Maybe it should be _stagger_ away from," the Lowlander put in.

"Chase?! What are you doing here?" Jeredy shouted.

"Dad! We're here to rescue you—sit tight!"

"_Oh_, how delightful! It seems like there's going to be combat!" Medea exclaimed.

"What's happening, _Dork_Spin?" Dax taunted. "Happy to see us?"

"Actually, yes," Telegonus said in a dangerous tone. "We almost got flattened by that avalanche you dropped on us!"

"Yes. We've been looking forward to a little…payback," Latinus added.

"Well look no further!" Jinja said.

"Yeah! Let's rumble!" Bren put in, attempting to sound tough but failing miserably.

Medea laughed. "This kind of battle requires more than one Monsuno!" She held up a Monsuno Launcher—although Chase had to wonder where she got it from. "Poisonwing, Toxiclaw…launch!"

Both the cores spun across the bridge until they came in contact with the railing. The more-familiar amphiptere was followed by a crab-like Monsuno. "Poisonwing, Toxiclaw! Clear the path to the good doctor and his little assistant!" Medea ordered, and both Monsunos began to attack the Hopper—which was acting as a strategic roadblock. To the other three, she said, "Now-now, my little ones! Into the fray! You don't want to miss this battle!"

In response, they spun out their cores, as the rest of Core-Tech did the same. On one side stood Lock, Quickforce, Charger, Glowblade, and Airswitch, and on the other side were Moonfire, Spiderwolf, and Spikebat.

Poisonwing and Toxiclaw were attacking the suspension wires as well as the Hopper now. Lock dashed and pounded Toxiclaw to the side. "Cover Lock, Glowblade! Move the Hopper!" Beyal said.

The three-headed snake promptly sent a shockwave from all three of its heads at said vehicle, before viciously attacking Spikebat.

"Lock, Power Charge!" Chase ordered, and the Monsuno complied by head-ramming Toxiclaw in the face. "Now, Omega Blast!" A blue wave of energy blasted across the bridge, hitting all five of the red Monsunos point-blank.

"Airswitch, Restraining Siege!" Dax shouted. His Monsuno flew in close to Spikebat in an attempt to grab it, but the Monsuno dodged it.

Meanwhile Glowblade was fighting head-to-head with Moonfire, and Poisonwing attempted to slash Lock across the face with one of its bladed wings, only to be grabbed by the tail and flung into Toxiclaw.

Jinja gasped slightly at noticing something, and said, "Charger, ram that rig!" Her Monsuno complied, turning it slightly.

She ran over to the open cockpit, climbing in and checking to see if the weapons system was still operating. It was. Pressing a few buttons, lasers shot out and hit both Spiderwolf and Moonfire. "Take that!" Jinja exclaimed, doing a fist-pump in the air.

Telegonus glanced at his core. "Now for the payback," he said. "Spikebat, take out the bridge with Terra Tail!"

The Monsuno shot multiple red energy shots out, leaving huge craters in the bridge. Stumbling majorly, Chase found himself falling. He barely managed to catch himself on a metal beam. "Chase, hold on, I'm coming!" his father shouted.

"No dad, I'm fine!" Chase yelled back as he started climbing back up. But Poisonwing just _had_ to slam the bridge with its tail, causing him to lose his grip.

Ten seconds later, he found himself safely in Yrael's grip—the mute man had used a loose cable to swing and catch him. Jeredy sighed heavily in relief. "Thank goodness," he breathed.

"Thanks Yrael," Chase said with a smile. Yrael nodded as Jeredy ran over. The two regarded each other for a bit, no words being required to know what would have been said.

Exactly three seconds later Spikebat swooped down and grabbed him—it would've gotten Lilac as well, had Yrael not yanked her out of the way. "Um…thanks?" she muttered, face flushing.

"Dax, is Airswitch up for a game of catch?" Chase asked quickly.

"What do you have in mind?" the dark-skinned teen asked, curious.

He didn't reply—to his Monsuno, he said, "Lock, Jaw of Light!"

The attack struck the bat-Monsuno a glancing blow, enough for it to drop Jeredy. Airswitch flew below and managed to catch him—but the hawk-vulture was then slammed by Poisonwing, sending the scientist plummeting. He barely managed to get a grip on the ledge of one of the suspension towers, and Poisonwing was flying at him again—

Until Glowblade flung him up again, and he was finally caught by Lock. "Way to go!" Dax cheered.

"Chase, they're just gonna keep coming at us!" Jinja said, talking about DarkSpin. "We have to get out of here!"

"No. I _am not_ running away from this," Chase said. "I'm dealing with this issue _now _and for the last time." He began walking toward their opponents.

"Chase, uh…what are you doing?" Bren asked.

"Chase, I don't think that's a good idea!" Beyal exclaimed, sounding worried.

"Uh, yeah! Really bad idea here!" Lilac followed. "The bridge's gonna fall apart!"

"Listen guys! Get off the bridge—that's an order!" Chase snapped in an uncharacteristic tone.

"Oh Chase, how brave…and foolish!" Medea said. To her group, she said, "Destroy him!"

"Lock!"

The Monsuno roared, running toward the other five Monsunos—which were charging at them. As Lock passed by, Chase jumped onto his head, saying, "Lock, Power Harness!"

The powerful attack pretty much killed the bridge. "_WHAT?!_" Medea shouted at seeing all five of their Monsunos go down into the river. Lock, meanwhile, turned around and made it safely to the other side. "My pets…they've been…!"

"Taken down. _Way_ down," Argius said.

All five Monsunos instantaneously reverted to essence and shot into their cores. "And it looks like they won't be getting back up anytime soon!" Telegonus noted.

"Impossible! Little Chase couldn't possibly have bested us all with one strike!" Medea continued.

"Uh, Medea? We better get going…" Latinus suggested.

"Yeah! Like _now_!" Telegonus added.

"Lock, return!" Chase ordered, watching DarkSpin flee the scene.

"Chase, are you alright?" Jeredy asked.

The teen whirled around. "No, I'm _not_ alright! Not by a long shot!" Jeredy blinked in surprise, his eyes widening. "Are you out of your mind?" Chase went on. "What were you thinking, coming out here in the open? What was so important that you'd risk your life like this?"

"Chase, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for anything like this to happen. But it was very important for me to get here."

"And why would that be?"

"Because…this place—it's the last place I saw your mother."

* * *

><p>Later on, they found themselves in a clearing dominated by a large tree. Jeredy dug up a slightly-dirty white box from near the roots opened it, and stared at whatever was in it sadly before taking it out—it was a photo. Chase looked at it hard when Jeredy gave it to him, and gasped a bit.<p>

His father was easy to recognize. Standing next to him was a woman with brown hair and teal-colored eyes, like Chase's own—his mother! The infant she was carrying was definitely himself.

"You…came all this way to get a picture?" he asked faintly.

Jeredy smiled at him. "You know what they say. A picture's worth a thousand words."

And that wasn't the only thing. Chase gripped his charm necklace. "This was hers!"

"Yes, it was. Chase, I'm so sorry I got you involved in all this…all of you…"

"It's not your fault, dad. We got ourselves into this mess." He paused, and looked around. "Hey, guys?" he started. "Is it me…or do we seem to be close to…?"

_"The caverns? Yes,"_ Yrael signed.

Chase turned to look at his father, who looked mystified. "Dad, can we show you something?"

* * *

><p>It was a bit of a hike to get up. "So, what is this supposed to be exactly?" Jeredy asked, staring at the cluster of bushes lined against a rise of rock. A river spilled out of an opening in the rock, splashing downhill over some stones.<p>

He didn't get a reply; Dax muttered, "Sheesh, it grew over…" while Yrael was tearing some weeds away with Chase's and Jinja's help. When it was all clear, Jeredy saw that there was an opening, heading into the cliff.

"In here," Chase said, gesturing. Curious, the scientist followed. After a bit, he suddenly realized it _should have _gotten dark—instead a steady light stayed overhead, from glowing crystals embedded in the ceiling. The tunnel eventually opened up into a larger cave, with other tunnels branching off.

"What—what is this place?" Jeredy asked.

"This is where we grew up," Bren answered. "See, that way's the kitchen, over that way is where Belgaer did combat-training—I _hated _that class—and it's also where Sabriel taught us history and stuff like that…"

"Our rooms are down that way too," Chase added. "I'll show you."

* * *

><p>Chase led his father down to the first room down the hall. His room was somewhat messy, with a small bookshelf, a drawer with a slightly-dirty mirror, and a bed with disheveled covers—just as he'd left it. Although there was a fine coating of dust over everything.<p>

His father stepped in, blinking a bit. "So…this one's yours?" he asked.

"Uh-huh." Chase nodded as he said this—he'd always been imaging this scene in his head, and now it was actually happening. The teen's eye caught something on a shelf, and he went over to pick it up. It was a framed picture of him, Bren, Jinja, Dax, and all four of the people who raised them.

"Are those…?" his father started.

"Yeah. Torrigan, Belgaer, and Sabriel." He pointed them out in turn. "You know Yrael already."

His tone must have gave something away, as he heard his father say, "You miss them, don't you."

"Well…yeah. I know Belgaer and Torrigan are both dead, but…Sabriel's out there somewhere."

* * *

><p>They went back outside a while later, after showing Jeredy and Lilac around the caverns. "Nice place you got," Lilac commented. "Very…unique."<p>

_"Thank you," _Yrael signed. He paused suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Jinja asked.

_"I hear something…"_ He glanced up—and his eyes went impossibly wide.

Namely because there was a Cloud-Carrier a mile above them.

* * *

><p>"Commandant Charlemagne, we tracked the Hopper once it changed course. And it was a good thing we did," Trey said.<p>

"Indeed it was. Doctor Jeredy Suno—zhe ultimate prize. Take him!"

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

><p>All of them had to scramble around as lasers scorched lines in the grass, eventually retreating into the caverns—it proved to be costly, as the entrance collapsed. And in the mayhem, a tractor-claw picked Jeredy up as fast as lightning, it seemed.<p>

* * *

><p>"Jeredy Suno has been captured. What of the children?" Trey asked.<p>

"Leave zhem be. Zhey are of no use to us." Charlemagne's tone was unusually quiet. The commander knew why.

* * *

><p>When they finally managed to get all of the rocks out of the way, the Cloud-Carrier was nowhere in sight. It had also started raining.<p>

"Oh man, this is _so _not good," Lilac muttered.

"Chase…are you okay?" Jinja asked.

Said teen clenched a fist. "No, I'm _not _okay. I mean, yeah we saved my dad from DarkSpin…but we pretty much delivered him to STORM."

Dax put a hand on his shoulder. "Not your fault, you know."

"Yes, it is. I was the one who wanted to come here."

"…well, at least we know where he is," Bren said.

"Exactly. And I'm going to get him back. Who's with me?"


	22. Author's Note

**Sorry this is taking so long, but I have my reasons:**

**1. School is being a huge mental drain this year.**

**2. Motivation to write has up and vanished...again...**

**3. I'm still trying to figure out how to go about next chapter. Ideas are welcome.**

**This is NOT abandoned. I'm just having issues getting myself to work on it.**


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